Thunderstone by Barbara Pietron

Publication date: October 30th 2013

Publisher: Scribe Publishing

Number of pages: 262

Series: N/A

Genre: YA Mythology

Source: Received in exchange for review. This is my honest opinion.

Goodreads synopsis:

Sneaking out at night, driving without a license, and falling for a guy weren’t things fifteen-year-old Jeni expected to do while visiting Lake Itasca, Minnesota with her family. The guy, Ice, turns out to be the local medicine man’s apprentice, and when he tells Jeni she’s connected to the spirit world, her first instinct is to run. But after Ice’s stories of a mythical underwater monster—that Jeni allegedly released—prove true, she realizes it’s up to her to contain the beast. Jeni must first convince herself that she’s able, and then save the locals, Ice, and ultimately herself.

“…well-written and entertaining…Jeni makes for a likeable protagonist that readers will identify with,” – Publishers Weekly

Review:

This is one of those little hidden book gems (or should I say thunderstone – sorry, I had to) that you never would have given a second look should it have not been for some strange reason.

What initially attracted me to Thunderstone was the notion of reading about Native American gods. I had never read a book (or even heard of one) centred around Native American gods. Roman gods, yes, Greek gods, yes, Christian angels, yes, Egyptian gods, yes, but never Native American gods.

And with Native American gods, of course you are going to get Native American people. And here is why this is an extra good thing: there is a huge call out for diverse books at the moment. I don’t know of a single reader who isn’t getting into the We Need Diverse Books campaign and with no super prominent Native American YA books that I have heard of around, I think that this is major bonus points for Thunderstone.

But enough commending of the Native Americanness. I have to talk about other things of course.

I really took to the main character. She was smart, modest and very likeable. Although I can't say she really...stood out? I immediately liked her relationship with Ice. They were really cute.

But perhaps my favourite character was Tyler. I thought his character was funny and I loved his relationship with his cousin (the main character). Yet another thing that is fairly rare for me to find in YA books – blood cousin relationships. I think it’s more common to find characters who are treated like cousins but aren’t actually related in YA books.

The actual story was alright. It could have been better but it was interesting enough and made up for it in how the other elements of the story set it apart from others.

All in all, I will probably recommend this to anyone looking for a book like this. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected and hope to see more people reading it.

3/5 comets

The Earth shook. If they thought the Leaning Tower of Pisa was leaning before...

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Goodreads author bio:

A lifetime love of books and the written word convinced Barbara to choose writing as a second career. She began by writing non-fiction for magazines and achieved both regional and national publication. This success was all she needed to encourage her to complete a novel. Her first manuscript was a beneficial learning experience along with critiques, books, contests, and blogs. Barbara sees Thunderstone as only the beginning; she has two other novels in the works and has started a Thunderstone sequel. When not reading or writing, she likes to walk, garden, and sew. She works in a library and lives in Royal Oak, Michigan with her husband, daughter, and their cat—who often acts like a dog. - See more at: http://scribe-publishing.com/barbara-... Follow Barbara on Facebook: www.facebook.com/barbara.pietron.19

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16 Things I Thought Were True by Janet Gurtler

Publication date: March 4th 2014

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Number of pages: 304

Series: N/A

Genre: YA Contemporary

Source: Received in exchange for review. This is my honest opinion.

 Goodreads synopsis:

Heart attacks happen to other people

When Morgan’s mom gets sick, it’s hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn’t as far away as she thought…

Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk

Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan’s getting to know the real Adam, and he’s actually pretty sweet…in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?

5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need

With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She’s not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend…and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can’t imagine living without.

 Review:

My heart sung, weeped, broke and soared. This book soared. I loved it to bits. #thingsiKNOWaretrue

This book totally deserved it’s spot on my Most Anticipated Books of 2014 list. Now it will end up on my Favourites of 2014 list. I just love it. I actually cried (and this is coming from the girl who didn’t cry in The Fault in Our Stars) and I laughed. #thingsiKNOWaretrue

It was actually so beautiful. The ending, oh the ending, was perfect for the story. I loved all the little things, like how Morgan used Twitter as sort of a haven and I loved reading the hashtags at the beginning of each chapter (I case your wondering why I keep using hashtags in this review). #thingsiKNOWaretrue

Who could forget such a swoony romance? Adam was so amazing and I loved his outlook and the way he cared for Morgan and Amy. It was so cute and perfect and I loved it so much. Then there was Amy, who needs just as much of a mention as Adam. #thingsiKNOWaretrue

Morgan herself needs a whole paragraph. I loved her actions at the end, won’t spoil anything, and the way that she stood up for Amy like that. She had so many things going on and she remained a determined and smart character who I loved to read about. #thingsiKNOWaretrue

There were twists and the little things turned to bigger things. One minute you are relieved, the next devastated. I have never read a book about a road-trip, so that was cool, and the characters had their funny little lines now and again. Everything turned out perfectly and couldn’t possibly be any better. #thingsiKNOWaretrue

If you love contemporary, you HAVE to read this. If you loved The Fault in Our Stars, you HAVE to read this. I know people hate it when reviewers compare books with other books, but hey, it’s a recommendation. I loved this and I can’t wait to read more by this author. SO GOOD. I never read stuff this long in pretty much one sitting. Without even meaning to. #thingsiKNOWaretrue

 5/5 comets
Bye, bye Earth! Out of this world!

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 Goodreads author bio:

Janet lives near the Canadian Rockies with her husband and son and a little dog named Bruce. She does not live in an Igloo or play hockey, but she does love maple syrup and says “eh” a lot.

*This review was orignally posted on my primary blog, Bookcomet

The Dark Side of the Truth by Gary Caruso

Goodreads synopsis:

Soon after fifteen-year-old Will Reed and his friend Mason stumble over a corpse in the woods, Will’s ex-con father is arrested for the murder—and it’s Will’s fault. With the police about to close their investigation, Will must discover the identity of the ruthless killer before his father wrongfully goes back to prison.

In the spirit of City of Ember and The Goonies, it’s the discovery of a coded message that starts Will and Mason on an unexpected path of mystery and danger. Will hopes finding an ancient relic will guide him to the truth and prove his father’s innocence. Unfortunately, Will soon learns he isn’t the only one searching for this valuable object. It’s a race to follow hidden clues until Will is confronted with a harsh reality. His determination to help his father has jeopardized the lives of the people he cares for. With a cold-blooded killer on his trail, Will must choose between the safety of his friends and family or freedom for his father.

Review:

I am absolutely astounded that I liked The Dark Side of the Truth better than Gary Caruso’s other book, Our Souls to Keep. Astounded. You know why? Because I LOVED that book and fantasy is more my style. I had never really taken to mystery books prior to this book (bad experiences) but this book proved otherwise.

The story was really gripping and which made it perfect for a readathon. I estimated it would take me maybe 2 days to read it but really, I read it in a couple of hours. Even the best of books take me a good 3 days. I just couldn’t stop reading!

The main character, Will, was likeable, brave and determined, which are all very important character qualities. Then there was Mason and Mason’s dad, whose likeliness made me laugh at times, as did the name of chapter 9 (Chem-mystery is my Favourite Subject).

Admittedly I did not predict everything about the end. Although there is no way you can compare The Dark Side of the Truth with Our Souls to Keep, in terms of unpredictability. That ending will never leave me. It was a nice ending in general and a good conclusion to the story. Although I am a little unsure of what happened to one of the characters.

I liked the way that The Dark Side of the Truth was not too gruesome because it means it would be appropriate and enjoyable for any older middle-grade readers as well as any YA readers.

There were some really cool ideas involved in the story, which I won’t reveal in fear of spoiling some parts of the book but it’s clear that Gary Caruso put some thought into that.

If you’re looking for a lighter mystery, I highly recommend The Dark Side of the Truth. It was entertaining and not too gory which contributed to making such a great book.

The Dark Side of the Truth was an entertaining and captivating mystery that made for a challenge to put down.

 5/5 comets – Bye, bye Earth. Out of this world!

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Goodreads author bio:

Gary Caruso lives in northern Virginia with his wife Jill, but their favorite place is in Ohio with their three beautiful grandchildren. Although Gary is exhilarated when he sits down to write, teaching middle school science is his first love. He’s passionate about empowering students to make thoughtful decisions and positive choices in life. Gary enjoys reading, especially fiction that blurs the line between what’s real and what’s fantasy. He never imagined becoming a writer until an ordinary car ride on a spring day jolted an unlikely thought into his head. Gary’s early experience writing is a reminder that no matter how intimidating the challenge, action and determination are the foundations for fulfilling any dream. Gary has an insatiable love for writing, a blessing he’s excited to share with his readers.

This review is also posted HERE on my primary blog!

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Goodreads synopsis:

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned-to her old life, her family, her boyfriend-before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance-and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.

Everneath is a captivating story of love, loss, and immortality from debut author Brodi Ashton.

Review:

Oh. My. Goodness. I loved this book.

I have been constantly thinking about Cole and Jack ever since I started this book and trying to decide who Nikki should pick and I just come out answerless. I think that's part of the reason it's so good - there's this element of difficulty for Nikki so that she can't win. At the moment, I'm thinking Cole. Because Jack can be with Jules. Cole won't have anyone else. That will probably change very shortly.

Now, I hardly ever quote things, but in this case I couldn't not:
"We shared a heart, Nik." He touched his fingers to my heart. "Your heart is in me now."
See what I mean?

But really, it's fairly even sided.

Anyway, the pace of the story was the perfect first book of the year pacing for me. And it was just so great anyway. There were sometimes when stopping reading seemed very hard.

Nikki was a fantastic character - she didn't really whine, she was reasonable (well, most of the time), brave and fairly smart. She was a character I could read about and probably never get tired of.

I can't wait to read the sequel. I think I'm going to make myself wait until the third book is released though. Each book in this trilogy has really beautiful colours. They're really cool too though, the way the ends of the dresses fade into smoke and they're not just girls in dresses to me like on some books (not that I mind really. It's better than girls in pyjamas. That would be kind of weird).

5/5 stars!

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Goodreads author bio:

I write Young Adult novels. I eat cinnamon bears. I love me some Diet Coke.

My debut book EVERNEATH (the first in a trilogy) comes out Winter 2012 with Balzer and Bray (Harper Collins).

I'm represented by Michael Bourret at Dystel and Goderich Literary Management.

* This review is also posted at my primary blog, Bookcomet