The Gifting by K.E. Ganshert (Book Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

"If science is right, then I am crazy. And crazy is dangerous."

Tess Eckhart has always felt things nobody else can feel. Then the Ouija board incident happens at a high school party. Her complete freakout sends her family across the country—next to a nationally-renowned facility for the mentally ill. Worried that Tess suffers from the same illness that tormented her grandmother, her parents insist she see a psychiatrist.

But Tess is more concerned about fitting in at her new school, and hiding the fact that she’s seeing a therapist at the Edward Brooks Facility. She’s used to whispers and stares, but when it comes to Luka Williams, a reluctantly popular boy in her class, she’s unused to a stare that intense. Then the headaches start, and the seemingly prophetic dreams that haunt her at night. As Tess tries to hide them, she becomes increasingly convinced that Luka knows something—that he might somehow be responsible.

But what if she’s wrong? What if Luka Williams is the only thing separating her from a madness too terrifying to fathom? 

My thoughts-

Katie Ganshert has written several beautiful books in the contemporary Christian fiction world, but young adult novels are new territory for her. I am impressed at how effortlessly Ganshert can be a voice in both genres, it's like she's two completely different authors. Not only is she a fresh voice in the YA genre, she has woven in other favorite sub-genres (dystopian and paranormal themes) giving the book a bit of extra depth and more meat on it's bones. I am so excited that The Gifting is the first book of a trilogy and even more excited that the second book, The Awakening,  will be available in July! If you like ya and/or paranormal fiction, you will enjoy The Gifting. To me it felt like a cross between the Angel Eyes series by Shannon Dittemore and the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer (only because Luka reminds me of Edward, but in a really good way! There are no vampires or werewolves to be found here). I am excited to see whats in store for Tess in The Awakening!

The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg (Book Review)

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Blogging for Books. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

In Afghanistan, a culture ruled almost entirely by men, the birth of a son is cause for celebration and the arrival of a daughter is often mourned as misfortune. A bacha posh (literally translated from Dari as “dressed up like a boy”) is a third kind of child – a girl temporarily raised as a boy and presented as such to the outside world. Jenny Nordberg, the reporter who broke the story of this phenomenon for the New York Times, constructs a powerful and moving account of those secretly living on the other side of a deeply segregated society where women have almost no rights and little freedom. 

The Underground Girls of Kabul is anchored by vivid characters who bring this remarkable story to life: Azita, a female parliamentarian who sees no other choice but to turn her fourth daughter Mehran into a boy; Zahra, the tomboy teenager who struggles with puberty and refuses her parents’ attempts to turn her back into a girl; Shukria, now a married mother of three after living for twenty years as a man; and Nader, who prays with Shahed, the undercover female police officer, as they both remain in male disguise as adults. 

At the heart of this emotional narrative is a new perspective on the extreme sacrifices of Afghan women and girls against the violent backdrop of America’s longest war. Divided into four parts, the book follows those born as the unwanted sex in Afghanistan, but who live as the socially favored gender through childhood and puberty, only to later be forced into marriage and childbirth. The Underground Girls of Kabul charts their dramatic life cycles, while examining our own history and the parallels to subversive actions of people who live under oppression everywhere.

My thoughts-

When I read stories about the oppression women deal with in other parts of the world, especially the middle east, I am so very thankful to have been born an American. I could not imagine my whole existence being nothing more than bearing a male child or to be ostracized, shamed or even starved by my family for having a girl. I ave never heard of the practice of bacha posh, but that is exactly why this book intrigued me. I tried to imagine myself in these women's shoes and I could see why they would dress up their girls as boys. It is a desperate measure, but it can make all of the difference in a family. I find it appalling that these Afghani men could treat their women this way. It just does not make sense to me. A. A woman can not control what sex her child is (the Afghani people believe that they can just through sheer determination) and b. the man's sperm is actually what determines to the sex of a baby. Imagine if these men realized they were to blame for what they consider a shortcoming. Honestly, I doubt it would make a difference. This book broke my heart. I knew that it is looked down upon to have all girls or to not be able to bear a son, but I had no idea about the shaming and starving and just downright mean treatment of these women. It makes perfect sense that to have a better life as a family they would resort to presenting their girls as boys. I can not imagine the fear they must feel pretty constantly at being found out or the desperation that lead them to make the decision to live this way, but at the same time I applaud them and admire them for fighting the only way they can against the oppressive society in which they live. This was a fascinating story. I do not think many people realize the atrocities that happen when it comes to child bearing in the middle east and even if they do, this is definitely an interesting read. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes learning about other cultures or who is interested in social change. 

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The Here and Now by Ann Brashares (Book Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received an advanced e-arc of the book from the publisher via NetGallley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

An unforgettable epic romantic thriller about a girl from the future who might be able to save the world . . . if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to.Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.

This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth.

But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves.

From Ann Brashares, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, The Here and Now is thrilling, exhilarating, haunting, and heartbreaking—and a must-read novel of the year.

My thoughts-

Lately I have not been able to get enough of the young adult genre. When I saw there was a new ya novel by Ann Brashares of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants fame, without even reading the plot synopsis I knew I would want to read it. When I did read what it was about, I was even more excited. I am a sucker for time travel stories and I really don't think there are enough of them out there. I felt like even though this book was written in present day, Prenna's descriptions of the future that she is from, the book had kind of a dystopian vibe. I thought it was a unique twist on things since she was not living in the dystopian world, but trying to acclimate herself to her new environment while trying to follow the many rules set before her by the elder people who traveled with her. I loved the beginning of the story by the pond when Prenna arrives, that set up let me know this would be a book that I would enjoy. There were a lot of elements to this book, it was not just a YA novel, which I appreciated. There was some mystery and suspense and of course the expected romance. I thought one of the most interesting things about The Here and Now was accompanying Prenna on her journey to figuring out things that she just believed blindly, might not exactly be 100% true. I enjoyed her interactions with Ethan, but I felt that something was lacking there. That may be due to her trying to keep her distance because of the rules even though she is clearly attracted to him, but I am hoping that if this becomes a series, the relationship between the two will be further developed. If this is a stand alone novel, I would not be fully satisfied because I feel like there is more to explore with these two characters and that more crazy stuff could happen because of the way it ended. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books with time travel, romance, or suspense or anyone who likes reading novels from the young adult genre.

About the author (from Goodreads)-

Ann Brashares grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with three brothers and attended a Quaker school in the D.C. area called Sidwell Friends. She studied Philosophy at Barnard College, part of Columbia University in New York City. Expecting to continue studying philosophy in graduate school, Ann took a year off after college to work as an editor, hoping to save money for school. Loving her job, she never went to graduate school, and instead, remained in New York City and worked as an editor for many years. Ann made the transition from editor to full-time writer with her first novel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Ann and her husband live with their three children in New York.

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The Here and Now will be released on April 9, 2014. You can pre-order a copy Amazon.com.

Luminary (Anomaly #2) by Krista McGee Blog Tour and Book Review + Win a copy of both books!

Disclosure- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.


This is the second book in a series. For more information on the Anomaly see the summary on Goodreads.
About the book:

She was an anomaly with a death sentence. Now she's free.

Thalli was scheduled for annihilation. She was considered an anomaly--able to experience emotions that should have been eradicated by genetic modification. The Scientists running the State couldn't allow her to bring undue chaos to their peaceful, ordered world. But seconds before her death, she is rescued.

Now Thalli is above ground in a world she thought was destroyed. A world where not even the air is safe to breathe. She and her three friends must journey across this unknown land, their destination a hidden civilization. It's their only chance of survival.

Broken and exhausted after an arduous journey, they arrive in New Hope, a town that survived the nuclear holocaust. When Thalli meets the people there--people actually "born" to "families"--her small world is blown wide open.

Soon after their arrival to New Hope, the town comes under attack. She has escaped imminent death, but now Thalli is thrust into a new fight--a fight to save her new home. Does she know enough about this world of emotions, this world of chaos, to save not only herself, but the people she has come to love?

My thoughts:

*Warning* Spoilers to the first book Anomaly appear in the below text...

I have been counting down the days since I first finished Anomaly for the release of Luminary and not surprisingly I devoured it in just a few short days. Anomaly introduced us to the dystopian Chicago that Thalli and company live in. In this future version of Chicago, babies are created in labs and are bred for certain tasks within their community. Thalli is her pod's musician. Emotions or questions are not tolerated and these very things are a huge part of who Thalli is, so it gets her into big trouble, schedule for "annihlation". With the help of her former podmate turned Scientist Berk and an old man who lived in previous times "above ground" and full of insightful knowledge of "the Designer", she escapes. That is where Anomaly leaves off and Luminary picks up.Thalli and friends have escaped and set off for the world  "above ground." What they find are two communities that don't get along and Thalli gets right in the middle of it. I really liked that the second book in this series, while it definitely ties into the first novel, is almost completely different from. Many times middle books are just filler to hold us over until the next book in the series comes out. That was not the case with Luminary. It has my attention at the beginning and it still held it at the end. There are new characters introduced and conflicts with old characters and new ones alike. It is frustrating to deal with the teenage drama that seems to happen in every trilogy's middle book, when the two love interests seem come up with odd reasons, typically all in their heads, as to why the other person doesn't love the one thinking about it. That gets old, but there is an interesting twist in this book that made it not bother me as much as it usually does. It seems Thalli has found a new home, but what will she have to do to save it? I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys young adult or dystopian novels. Once again, the book ended on an intense cliffhanger! I will definitely be counting down the days until the last book, Revolutionary, is released (July 15, 2014)!

About the Author:

Krista writes for teens, teaches teens, and more often than not, acts like a teen. She and her family have lived and ministered in Texas, Costa Rica, and Spain. Her current hometown is Tampa, FL.




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Blog Tour Hosted by: YA Bound Book Tours

The Returned by Jason Mott Book Review + TV Series Based on the Book Coming March of 2014 to ABC!

*Disclosure- I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher via Edelweiss. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book:

"Jacob was time out of sync, time more perfect than it had been. He was life the way it was supposed to be all those years ago. That's what all the Returned were.

Harold and Lucille Hargrave's lives have been both joyful and sorrowful in the decades since their only son, Jacob, died tragically at his eighth birthday party in 1966. In their old age they've settled comfortably into life without him, their wounds tempered through the grace of time.

Until one day Jacob mysteriously appears on their doorstep--flesh and blood, their sweet, precocious child, still eight years old.

All over the world people's loved ones are returning from beyond. No one knows how or why this is happening, whether it's a miracle or a sign of the end. Not even Harold and Lucille can agree on whether the boy is real or a wondrous imitation, but one thing they know for sure: he's their son. As chaos erupts around the globe, the newly reunited Hargrave family finds itself at the center of a community on the brink of collapse, forced to navigate a mysterious new reality and a conflict that threatens to unravel the very meaning of what it is to be human.

With spare, elegant prose and searing emotional depth, award-winning poet Jason Mott explores timeless questions of faith and morality, love and responsibility. A spellbinding and stunning debut, The Returned is an unforgettable story that marks the arrival of an important new voice in contemporary fiction."

My thoughts: 

I have been wanting to read The Returned since I first heard about it's unique plot. This is such a different kind of story that there is already a television series set to debut in March of 2014 on ABC based on it called Resurrection (more on that in a little while) and the novel hasn't even been released yet!! What if the people you have loved that have passed away showed up on your doorstep one day, appearing the same way as they did when they left this Earth? What would happen if your fiance, sister or even your child found their way back to you? How would you react? The Returned explores this idea and the many possible reactions one could have if this was reality. A set of parents, who lost their only little boy long ago, do not know what to think when he shows up on their doorstep, still 8 years old. Sure, they have heard of others that have "returned" but it is different when it happens to you. Harold and Lucille deal with Jacob's return in different ways, just as they dealt with their grief of loosing him in different ways. The people in their town, Arcadia, are also dealing with the sudden appearance of "the returned" and trying to figure out what they are, how they are back and why they are here. This novel takes you on a journey of emotions and deep thought. Some of the things that happen will make you angry and want to scream at some of the characters, some of it might make you feel like you can relate to how the characters have reacted, but the one thing that I found myself thinking is how wonderful and frightening would it be to experience this world where there is hope that the people you have lost might return to you, that you might be able to hold them, hug them, tell them you love them once again. To me, that is what makes escaping into the world of The Returned most worthwhile.

The Returned will be available on August 27, 2013. You can pre-order the book right now on Amazon.com.

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Resurrection: Coming this fall to ABC

Some novels beg to be brought to life.  The Returned is one of them. Resurrection, based on the novel and airing in March of 2014 on ABC, is a series that so many people will be able to relate to and the story is so fascinating that it will keep people tuning in. Here is a trailer for the show:

Far Far Away By Tom McNeal Book Review

Disclosure- I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book: 

It says quite a lot about Jeremy Johnson Johnson that the strangest thing about him isn't even the fact his mother and father both had the same last name. Jeremy once admitted he's able to hear voices, and the townspeople of Never Better have treated him like an outsider since. After his mother left, his father became a recluse, and it's been up to Jeremy to support the family. But it hasn't been up to Jeremy alone. The truth is, Jeremy can hear voices. Or, specifically  one voice: the voice of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of the infamous writing duo, The Brothers Grimm. Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But when the provocative local girl Ginger Boultinghouse takes an interest in Jeremy (and his unique abilities), a grim chain of events is put into motion. And as anyone familiar with the Grimm Brothers know, not all fairy tales have happy endings. . . 

My thoughts:

I thought that the premise of this book was a unique take on the fantasy/young adult genre, so I was definitely on board to check it out. The book starts of pretty strong introducing us to many characters that will be a huge part of Jeremy's story. I loved that this novel was told from the point of view of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, it added a nice twist and a different voice to a story meant for children. It also made me smile to see bits of German peppered throughout the book. This is something I definitely would have been into reading in middle school back in the day. Anyway, after the strong beginning I felt the middle was kind of lacking, that there was a lot of unnecessary filler. I was also annoyed by the super nerve grating character of Ginger. She made it feel at times like I was reading a novel of a Scooby Doo mystery rather than a sophisticated tale from the ghost of Jacob Grimm. I rode it out because I loved the idea of the story line and I am glad I did, the last half of the book was phenomenal. I felt it was entirely different from the first half of the book, but I guess if the entire book would have been like the end, it might have been too much emotionally for a younger grade reader. The book almost starts out on a light note of Jeremy and the two book store he lives in, followed mid-book by a game show appearance and then eases into the scarier part of Jeremy's tale all the while Jacob is looking over him and guiding him as best he can. Since this is a Grimm related novel, it's not all rays of sunshine, but you will have to read the book to find out if Jeremy gets a happy ending or if another fate is in store for him. I thought this was a great book that would be enjoyed by middle grade readers and adults alike. 

About the author:

Tom McNeal holds an MA in creative writing from UC Irvine and was a Stegner Fellow and Jones Lecturer at Stanford University. He is the author, with his wife, Laura, of four young adult novels published by Knopf: Crooked, Crushed, The Decoding of Lana Morris, and Zipped. His adult titles include Goodbye, Nebraska and To Be Sung Underwater. He lives with his wife and two sons in Southern California.


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Far Far Away is now available on Amazon.com

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau Book Review

About the book:

 It's graduation day for sixteen-year-old Malencia Vale, and the entire Five Lakes Colony (the former Great Lakes) is celebrating. All Cia can thinka bout-hope for-is whether she'll be chosen for The Testing, a United Commonwealth program that selects the best and brightest new graduates to become the possible leaders of the slowly revitalizing post-war civilization. When Cia is chosen, her father finally tells her about his own nightmarish half-memories of The Testing. Armed with his dire warnings ("Cia, trust no one"), she bravely heads off to Tosu City, far away from her friends and family, perhaps forever. Danger, romance-and sheer terror-await.


 My thoughts:

 The first dystopian fantasty series that I read was The Giver quartet. I read The Giver many eons ago (12 or so years ago now, I've lost track really of how long it's been!) And since that most recent book in the series only came out last year, I just finished it. I don't know what it is about such a sad genre, but there is something that draws me in. As a fan of The Giver Quartet and of The Hunger Games Trilogy, After reading the plot description for The Testing, I knew I just HAD to read it. I am glad that I did. The book is kind of slow going at the beginning, but I can tell that this series is going to be a great one. Cia and 4 other students from her colony are chosen for The Testing after a years long dry spell has plagued the colony from sending any candidates for The Testing to enter the University. At first, Cia is excited. It is everyone's dream to go to the University. Before Cia is to leave for The Testing, her father confides in her that he has nightmares about what happened when he went through The Testing, but that they are vague dreams and he can not remember exactly what happens. He also warns her to keep her guard up and not trust anyone. This is advice Cia mostly takes to heart on this journey. Along the way, there are people, adults involved in The Testing, that seem to want to help Cia, but are they just another part of The Testing or do they truly want to make sure she gets out of the process alive? The Testing consists of 4 tests. The 4th and final test is the most brutal and brings out everyone's true colors. The Testing is almost like a cross between The Giver (the memory erasing drugs) and The Hunger Games (The brutal part 4 of the test is do or die.) Although I found the first book in The Testing series to be slow, it was still engaging and did a great job of setting up book two, which will be out this fall. I have a feeling that book two is going to be a fast and easy read and I can not wait to see how things turn out for Cia. I also could not stop imagining this book as a movie. That's how good at storytelling this author is and how good of a story The Testing is as well. I can only hope that some day that might happen. I would love to see this novel come alive on the big screen! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dystopian fantasy or young adult novels.

The Testing (#1) will be making it's big debut on June 04, 2013. You can pre-order the book on Amazon.com. In the meantime, you can download The Testing Guide, the FREE prequel for to The Testing Trilogy!

About the author:

Joelle Charbonneau began telling stories as an Opera singer, but these days finds her voice through writing. She lives near Chicago with her husband and son and when she isn't writing, works as an acting and vocal coach.

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Disclosure- I was provided an advance e-copy of The Testing via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

Jealousy Glass by Gwen Perkins Book Review/Blog Tour

Book Blurb:

"We came to stop a war before it came to Cercia. And it seems the war has come to us."

Responsibility and patriotism spur Cercia's new leader, Quentin, to protect his beloved country at all costs and he assigns Asahel and Felix to serve as ambassadors and secret agents to Anjdur. Their journey quickly turns awry and Asahel and Felix barely escape a devastating shipwreck, walk a tightrope of political tension, and rescue an empress before they learn they must face an enemy closer to them than they thought.

Will they be able to uncover an assassin's plot before it's too late? Will Asahel be able to unearth a secret that is vital to their mission? Will Cercia survive its own revolution? In The Jealousy Glass, Perkins boldly continues a series of unforgettable characters and events that will leave you begging for more.

My Thoughts:

Jealousy Glass is the second book in the Artifacts of Empire series by Gwen Perkins. I didn't read the previous book in the series, The Universal Mirror. I feel that put my at a disadvantage as far as fully enjoying and fully understanding the novel. There was background information I felt I was missing and I did feel like I started in the middle of a story. That is no fault of the authors, but mine alone for missing out on the first book. I was still able to follow the story and enjoy it to some extent, I do however recommend reading the first book if you plan on reading The Jealousy Glass. Overall, I thought this was a good adventure novel and I enjoyed getting to know the two main characters Asahel and Felix along the way. I will probably go back and read the first book, so I can continue the series when Perkins adds more to the series. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys a good adventure type novel.

About the Author:

Gwen Perkins has always regarded the deep rainforest of the Olympic Peninsula as the one place that she feels most at home. Gwen grew up in small towns across the Pacific Northwest, going to slug races and strawberry festivals when she wasn't scribbling on any scrap of paper she could come by. She boasts the dubious distinction of going to a public school with only eight students, learning Irish sea chanteys from a man who sang with the Clancy Brothers, and catching tadpoles during classes.


Her adult life is generally just about as much fun.


She lives in the City of Destiny (better known as Tacoma, Washington). Her hobbies include wandering beaches, baking pies and lampworking. In between all of this, Gwen has written two novels in the Artifacts of Empire series: The Universal Mirror and The Jealousy Glass. The Universal Mirror has been nominated for a 2013 Endeavour Award.


She is presently at work on future novels in the Artifacts of Empire series while working on another series in collaboration with Wilson Fabián Saravia.

Buy The Jealousy Glass on Amazon

Read the first book in the Artifacts of Empire series The Universal Mirror



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*Disclosure- I received a complimentary copy of the book in hopes that I might mention it on my blog. I was not  required to render a positive review and all opinions are 100% my own.