[Review]* The Unquiet Past by Kelley Armstrong

Summary:

You can only hide from the truth for so long.

Tess has always been tormented by waking visions that make her question her sanity. When the orphanage she lives in burns down, she decides to face her fears and find out once and for all what is wrong with her. She believes the truth must lie with her parents, and so, armed with only an address and phone number, Tess travels to a crumbling mansion in rural Quebec, where she discovers evidence of mistreatment of mental patients. She also makes an unlikely ally and gradually unearths her family’s sad history—and finally accepts the truth about her paranormal powers.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 264 pages (Paperback)

Available Formats: Print/E-book/E-Audiobook/Audiobook CD

Source: Toronto Public Library

Publication Date: September 29th 2015 by Orca Book Publishers

Kelley Armstrong is one of my turn to authors when I'm in a bit of a slump so when I saw that she had released this one last year I had to read it. I didn't get to it until January of this year and it's a shame that it's taken me this long to write the review for it. 

I picked this one up because I was in a slump and wanted to read one of her YA titles but wasn't really in the mood to go right into one of her many YA series at the time. The Unquiet Past is set in a series but the series is comprised of each book in it being written by different authors. It was perfect for what I wanted so as soon as I got it from the library I started reading it and wouldn't you know it, I was done the same day. Because of the nature of the book I'm going to have to be a little vague so I don't give any big spoilers away. 

The Unquiet Past is different from her other novels in that it's a standalone (she has some but she is a serious series writer). I thought the setting was great, It's set here in Canada (rural Quebec) and in 1964 which is a pretty clear departure from her other stuff, but it was refreshing to see this side of her writing. I wouldn't say that it's clear cut in what genre it fits in but if I best had to describe it it would be a historical young adult mystery with a touch of the paranormal to it. If I had to describe it in one word I'd say gothic.

Tess is a really good character and I liked her right from the beginning. She's spent her whole life in an orphanage in Hope, Ontario and all she wants to do is be free and find out who she really is and why she's being plagued with visions on top of being an orphan. The poor girl really couldn't catch a break. I thought she was really well written, she was smart, witty and a little naive at the same time which made her believable to me. I thought she was quite spunky too and I liked how she was relentless in her pursuit to find out her history, even when it meant travelling alone in rural areas and finding a house (and a curmudgeon of a teenage boy) that held evidence that it used to be a sort of asylum and a wee bit of a ghost/spectre problem.

Then there's the Curmudgeon also known as Jackson a Metis boy who is just a bit older than Tess. He's also looking for answers to something (I'm not telling you what!) and he reluctantly and rudely agrees to help Tess on her quest for answers. I liked him, but I did find his grumbling a bit off putting after awhile. At the same time though he did balance out Tess and her optimism and he brought a levelheadedness to the story and their search so he did play a big role and fill in areas that were needed.

I thought the overall writing of the book was fast paced, and very mysterious. I never knew what was going to happen next and that's what really kept me reading further. There was definitely an air of the paranormal to it that brought a bit of an eerie feeling to the story, especially when they found out what the mansion used to be used for and all that ensued in that strange old place. I thought the way that the author described the scenes was great, I could really see my self standing with Jackson and Tess, watching things unfold in front of my eyes. It was really cool to be able to be transported like that it was almost as if I could smell the smell of old stale house while I was reading it. I loved that about it and the characters were well written. 

However that's not to say that the book was perfect. My biggest gripe with it was I felt a bit rushed. I think the characters as good as they were could have been expanded on a bit as well as the story itself. If it were given another 30 to 50 pages to really delve more into the history of the house I'd have like it more. It wasn't a huge detriment to the story but I did feel slightly rushed hence the 3.5 star rating instead of a 4 star rating. 

I would recommend this one to fans of Kelley Armstrong, readers who enjoy young adult fiction that is a mix of mystery with a touch of the paranormal and people looking for a read that gives off an eerie vibe when you're reading it. I would advise thought that this is one of the books were things do not wrap themselves up in a pretty bow for you in the end. It leaves you with questions and lets think about the story long after you finish reading it. 

Really Liked It!

★★★ 1/2

To "Like" Kelley on Facebook CLICK HERE

To "Follow" Kelley on Twitter CLICK HERE

To become a "Fan" of Kelley on Goodreads CLICK HERE

To visit Kelley's Website CLICK HERE 

To purchase the book via Chapters Indigo CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Kobo CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via The Book Depository CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Barnes & Noble CLICK HERE

*[Book Highlight & Giveaway] Full Moon (The Crescent #3) by Jordan Deen

 

 

Title: Full Moon

Author: Jordan Deen

Series: The Crescent #3

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

You know her story. You know her painful initiation into the werewolf world and you’ve seen her struggle to find the truth.

Now, Lacey Quinn is ready for the war to be over. Are you?

Lacey has been used, lied to and cheated out of the only thing she ever wanted: independence. Struggling with her newfound knowledge of being pack leader, Alex coming back into her life and the kidnapping of Lily’s mate—Matt—Lacey is faced with one of the biggest decisions of her life: fight or flight. While she knows running from the war will risk many lives, but staying means she would never have the life she wants and quite possibly never know a world without werewolves, witches and war.

Sometimes doing the right thing isn’t always the first or most obvious choice. Lacey Quinn is about to challenge what everyone thinks is the right thing to do. Unfortunately for her, most will not agree with her decision or the painful outcome.

Sometimes, love means death.

PRE-ORDER:

AMAZON | B&N

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Just please stop…, I said one last time as the ribbons encircled my wrists and my ankles and started pulling in opposite directions. There would be no end to the suffering until there was an end to me. The only way to stop the pain was to let myself go. To let it overtake me and to be one with the pain. I released the tension in each of my muscles and loosened my balled up fists. If I was going to die now, it would be on my own terms. As soon as the realization had registered in my mind, the onyx prisoner twisted onto itself and around me to squeeze my stomach and my ribs. It was determined to kill me and to make me suffer while it was doing it. I couldn’t fight back. I wouldn’t fight back. It was futile. I remained limp and it seemed to only further anger my captor.

            The next thing I knew, I was upside down and the ground was racing quickly towards my face. The shackles around my wrist were released and I was again screaming for my freedom. My arms flailed and hopes for developing an ability to fly rushed through my mind. If only I could fly… then my head hit the ground.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

 Jordan Deen is an Award-Winning Young Adult and New Adult Author from East St. Louis, Illinois. Her debut novel, THE CRESCENT was a 2010 Reader's Favorite Award Winner. Her second novel, HALF MOON released in 2011. BREAKING LAUREN is her third novel and was a finalist in the Texas Literary Awards. The sequel, LOSING LAUREN will be released on 12/5/2013.

She can usually be found curled up in her favorite chair with a book or her laptop. She is the proud mother of one crazy little boy and an even crazier teacup Yorkie.

Jordan is Indie published, as well as traditionally published with Black Rose Writing.

'Life is about the journey...'

Website | Twitter | Facebook

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

*[Blog Tour Review] Hunted by Jill Kaelin

 

Summary:

 

8 That's how old I was when I found out I was special. I was given my rose quartz gem and taught about my past.

13 That's how many times I've lived in this world. This is my thirteenth life cycle as a human.

1 That's how many seconds it took me to fall in love with Mike. It's also the amount of time I had to say goodbye to him just before he was killed by Reggie, the hunter that's been after me for months.

Will Reggie succeed in killing me too, and possibly eradicating the planet of the unicorn race forever?

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 218 pages (E-book)

Source: Review Copy

Available Formats: E-book

Publication Date:  August 17th 2013 by InkSpell Publishing

 

 

Have I mentioned how much I love InkSpell Publishing before? No? Well I do. They work with some pretty amazing author's and I'm so glad to have the opportunity to work with them especially when it comes to reviewing some totally awesome books like Hunted. Since the book is still so new, I'm really going to try to avoid any spoilers so if I seem vague I apologize. I just don't want to spoil it for anyone.

 

Hunted is Jill Kaelin's debut novel and she hit it band on. At 218 pages Hunted was a quick, fun, unique read written by a fresh new voice in the Young Adult genre. At first I wasn't all that sure what to expect since I wasn't able to find any reviews of it to give me some idea of what I was getting myself into and because I'm always nervous when it comes to trying a new author.

 

Right off the bat I liked the way that Kaelin chose to write Skye's story. It flowed so easily and so freely and she was detailed in her descriptions that I felt like I was in the book along side Skye as she had to endure everything that her 13th life through at her. There was something so endearing about Skye that I couldn't help but to love her and root her on through the story because I liked seeing her grow as a character. She was complex yet not so much so that it brought the over all feel of the book down. Plus I liked the paranormal aspect that surrounded her a lot as well. It wasn't over done and it fit well with the over all feel of the book.

 

As for Reggie, I wasn't a fan of him. Other people may or may not be but I wasn't although that isn't to say that he wasn't a good character, because he was. I just didn't see eye to eye with him really and I thought he made a good supporting cast member/co-star for Skye and their dynamic really intrigued me.

 

My only issue with the book was that I really think it could have done with an extra 15-25 pages to really flush a few scenes out and add a little more to the story line and add more dialogue to the story but that is of course just my opinion and other than that I thought Hunted was an excellent debut and I am totally looking forward to reading the next book in the series as soon as I can because I would absolutely love to see where the story line is going to go from where Hunted left off. Oh and the unicorn thing mentioned in the book summary? I know I didn't mention it before because of spoilers so just let me say, GO BUY THE BOOK AND READ IT IMMEDIATELY. Seriously though. Go buy it, and then you can find out why unicorns were mentioned because I'm not telling. It's too important. Trust me.

 

I would recommend Hunted to fans of young adult paranormal novels with a unique premise, a fresh perspective on the genre, a great heroine and fantastic writing that will get you hooked.

 

 

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

 

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

2013 Paranormal Reading Challenge

 

 Loved it!
★★★★ 1/2

 

To "Like" Jill on Facebook CLICK HERE

To "Follow" Jill on Twitter CLICK HERE

To become a "Fan" of Jill on Goodreads CLICK HERE

To visit Jill's WebsiteCLICK HERE

To visit Jill's Blog  CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Kobo CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Barnes & Noble CLICK HERE

 

 

Wolf Moon Rising by Miranda Simon

 

Summary:

 

Clare Sorenson has a boyfriend, but there is something so very intriguing about her new next-door neighbor. She's never seen anyone with eyes so — golden. Those eyes rendered her speechless. Pale skin, unruly dark curls, and the lean, wiry body of a distance runner don't hurt, either. Soon the high school senior is falling head over heels for the mysterious Nicholas. She'll risk everything to be with him.

But something isn't right in the small town of Hadley. It begins with ravaged livestock and rumors of wolves. Clare begins to suspect that Nicholas knows much more than he's willing to admit. How many gruesome deaths will it take before she confronts him -- and discovers his true nature? And can love survive that terrible truth?

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 125 pages (E-book)

Source: Kindle Freebie

Available Formats: E-book

Publication Date: November 13th 2012 by Capuchin Publisher

 

Wolf Moon Rising turned out to be one of the more surprising books that I've read so far this year. Usually if a book is under 150 pages I'm not likely going to enjoy it but when I got this as a Kindle freebie last week I had a feeling about it.

 

Right away I was taken in by Miranda Simon's story of Clare Sorenson and the new boy in town, Nicholas Hadley. I was surprised by how much I liked both of the main characters because usually in shorter books there isn't quite enough character development but this one didn't have that problem whatsoever.

 

Clare was such a super sweet and caring girl I couldn't help but feel bad for her loss over the suicide of her mother several months before the events in the book took place. She was totally devoted to her father and she wasn't a brain dead heroine at all and I was glad to see the author gave her some smarts.

 

As for Nicholas, I thought he was a jerk in the beginning when he was so rude to Clare when she was just trying to be friendly but he grew on me even though his denial about his father's wolfish tendancies being as bas as they were annoyed me a lot. He did love his little sisters with all his heart and I loved how selfless he was for them.

 

The other characters in the book were minor but they also had good character development and I didn't have any real issues with them. I thought that Nick's father was a major nutter and for me there was no love lost between him and I. Especially after reading about how he treated his family.

 

The plot of the book was very good as well. I liked that it wasn't your standard young adult romance novel and that while there was romance it wasn't all sappy like the kind a reader of the genre would typically find, especially in such a short book. I thought the plot was well developed and I was very pleased with how the overall story played out and thought it was a really enjoyable read. My only issue is that the author seemed to leave it on a bit of a cliffhanger so I'm hoping that she does pen a sequel since I'd really like to see how things with Nick and Clare turn out after things ended the way they did with Nick's dad and the killing of livestock.

 

Overall, Wolf Moon Rising was a surprisingly detailed and well written 125 page novel and left me wanting to read more by Miranda Simon. I'm very glad I picked this Kindle freebie up when I did and very glad I gave it a try.

 

I would recommend Wolf Moon Rising to fans of young adult shape shifter novels. Unlike many books in the genre I thought this one stood out as a shining example of how well a book of it's nature can turn out. Plus if you're looking for a quick read this is a great book to pick up.

 

Really Liked it!
★★★★

 

 

To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE

 

 

 

 

 

Shadow of Time by Jen Minkman

 

Summary:

 

All Hannah needs is a nice and quiet vacation after her first year of teaching French at a high school. She joins her brother Ben for the summer in their mom’s log cabin in Arizona. There, she meets Josh again, Ben’s childhood friend from the Navajo reservation. The little boy from the rez has grown up fast, and Hannah can’t help but feeling more for him than just friendship.

But fate apparently has something else in store for her. And it’s not peace and quiet. Night after night, Hannah is plagued by strange nightmares about the past of Navajo Nation and terrifying shadows chasing her. They seem to come closer – and why is Josh always present in her dreams?

Sometimes, the past has a way of catching up with you.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 400 pages (E-book)

Source: Review Copy

Available Formats: Print/E-book

Publication Date: January 1st 2013 by CreateSpace

 

Awhile back I was approached by Jen Minkman asking if I would review her novel and after seeing a great review of Shadow of Time over on Adela's blog and you can read her review by clicking here. I knew I just had to give this book a shot.

 

I absolutely loved Shadow of Time. It was one of those rare books that leaves you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what else the author can throw at you and loving every minute of it. I was immediately sucked into the story that Jen took such great care to create.

 

Hannah has got to be another one of my favourite bookish heroines. She's just so likable and I love the inner strength that she radiates even though she's actually really shy and awkward. But the best part about her was that she was really, really funny! I love coming across a character who makes me laugh because so many authors seem to focus on making their heroines smart and strong that they forget that there characters should have a sense of humour. So I'm really glad that Jen wrote Hannah the way she did.

 

The other good character was Josh, who appears as Hannah's love interest in the story. He was smart, funny and loyal to Hannah but he was also the typical teen boy in that he is completely oblivious to what Hannah is feeling which made him even more authentic and it was wonderful to seem him along with Hannah grow individually and together as the book went on.

 

The story though completely blew me away. I loved the paranormal aspect of it just as much as I loved the romance of the book. I loved learning all about the Dinès whom you'll get very well acquainted with if you choose to read the book. So in an effort not to ruin the book for any perspective readers I won't really mention them other than to say that they were really interesting and played a big part in the novel.

 

I loved how the story was paced. There was always a sense of knowing that something major was going to happen through the book and when something major did happen I would be left reeling and having no idea what would happen next.

 

Overall, I loved the sense of adventure that I felt while I was reading Shadow of Time and I loved feeling so connected to the characters as well as the story. It was wonderful to see a book that deals with Navajo people and their traditions.

 

I would recommend this to everyone who has a love for young adult paranormal reads. This is an utterly unique tale written by a fantastic new voice in the young adult genre and offers an engaging story in Shadow of Time. This is a book that I'll be recommending for a long time to come and I can't wait to see more written by Jen Minkman.

 

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

Loved It!
★★★★★ 

To "Like" Jen on Facebook CLICK HERE

To "Follow" Jen on Twitter CLICK HERE

To become a "Fan" of Jen on Goodreads CLICK HERE

To visit Jen's Website CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Barnes & Noble CLICK HERE

*[Blog Tour Review] The Betrayal (The Dark Circle Saga #1) by Sheila Hendrix

 

Summary:

 

When Zachariah and Matthew McCannon were young, their parents abandoned them, leaving Zack to take care of his little brother, Matt. Though they lived with their grandmother, she was always sick, so Zack was forced to raise him. This was not an easy task.

Zack had his hands full because of Matt’s unusual powers. He has visions and dreams that come true, and when he gets angry or upset, he can move things with his mind. Because of this, evil seeks him, keeping Zack on his toes as his protector.

As the brothers grew older, they became hunters, pursuing evil supernatural forces. After Matthew has a dream, it sends them on a hunt for cave, not knowing why, but realizing it is necessary. When they arrive, Matt finds the vision was a trap.

A Darkness like no other wants to control Matt and kill Zack. The Darkness is named, Alanya, which means, The Destroyer.

Alanya hates the brothers. In the past, every time he tried to apprehend Matt, Zack would thwart him by protecting his brother. Alanya is incensed that a mere human boy can beat him, for demons are not to be defied.

When Alanya asks Zack, “How far will you go to save your brother?” Zack answers, “As far as I have to.”

Now, the brothers are faced with a deadly force they never had to deal with before. This demon is on a deadly mission to destroy everything the brothers hold dear. If the McCannon’s are not careful, neither of them will be able to escape.

Summary & Photo provided by Reading Addiction Blog Tours

Length: 219 pages

Source: Review Copy

Publication Date: October 6th 2010 by Sheila Hendrix

 

The main reason I signed up for this tour was because the summary of The Betrayal really got me interested. There's a refreshing quality to the novel and I really enjoyed that.

 

This is a paranormal YA novel but unlike most novels in the genre the main character is a boy which I personally found to be a nice change of pace because there is only so many YA novels I can read with whining girls as the main characters.

 

I was really impressed with this first novel in The Dark Circle Saga. It reminded me a lot of the TV show Supernatural in a way because there are two brothers as the main focus of the book and they're just like Sam and Dean. Always trying to save each other from the darkness which in this case is a cave dwelling Demon and we all know they're never the good guys.

 

The plot of the novel was really well set out and the pacing of it was perfect. The author didn't throw everything at the reader at once and just ride out the waves until the end, the story was written the proper way with appropriate spacing between the major events happening in it and I think that is what kept me reading straight through.

 

I also really enjoyed the characters Matt and Zach along with their friends were great and I love the dialogue between them. It wasn't awkward or halting in anyway and they sounded like how kids really talk so that's another way that the author won me over.

 

Overall I really like The Betrayal. It wasn't anything like how I expected it would be but that takes nothing away from how much I enjoyed it and it's one that I'm going to have Mr. Turning the Pages read and maybe review at a later date because I think he would love this book. I highly recommend this novel to everyone who enjoys YA paranormal novels with a lot of action. I'm looking forward to reading more of this authors books and can't wait for book two of the series!

 

*I received a free copy in exchange for my free and honest review. I was not compensated in any way and all thoughts and opinions expressed therein are my own.

Really Liked It!
★ ★ ★★

 

To "Like" Shelia on Facebook CLICK HERE

To "Follow" Sheila on Twitter CLICK HERE

To become a "Fan" of Sheila on Goodreads CLICK HERE

To visit Sheila's Website CLICK HERE

To visit Sheila's Blog CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via LuLu CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Smashwords CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Barnes & Noble CLICK HERE

 

Author Bio

 

 

 

Sheila Hendrix is a native of Alabama and resides there with her husband of seventeen years. Her

only children are her six dogs. She works as a nurse for a nursing home and also does reviews for a

magazine, although she hasn’t done that in awhile because she’s been busy writing her own Young Adult

series.

Sheila has always wanted to write but never thought she’d be able to. It’s been a dream of hers since

she was a little girl. She practically raised her little brother because her parents both had to work. She

had to grow up fast and that was where she got the idea of writing about two brothers whose parents

abandoned them when they were little.

The Dark Circle book series is her paranormal series she’s working on right now. She got the idea for

The Betrayal after having a nightmare that stayed with her for days.

The Betrayal is the first book in the series and is now available where ever books are sold. The second

book in the series is Head Games and then Darkness Falls. She doesn’t know how many books will be in

the series but there will be several.

Her hobbies are reading, writing, gardening, traveling, hiking, camping and swimming. She is currently

in school to earn her Associate Degree in Paralegal studies but her dream is to write.