Book Review: Windchaser (Phantom Island #1) by Krissi Dallas

Switching it up a little bit with Windchaser, we have a book from an author unknown to me until now, about teens at a camp who stumble upon something more than a good vacation.

4/5 Stars 288 pages
Published December 13th 2011 by Tate Publishing

Whitnee lost her dad when she was young, and it’s something that still effects her to this day. But after going to a troubled youth camp when she was a child, she returned with two new best friends, Morgan and Caleb. But will they stay best fr5iends when they come back to the camp as teenage mentors to a whole new set of trouble kids?

The book begins with a lot of reminiscing about their previous camp experience as children, which really reminded me of my own school camp experience. Although Whitnee and Morgan are more interested in meeting cute guys than actual camping. Under no circumstances are they supposed to cross the river. However, after thinking she sees someone on the other side, Whitnee just has to go and check it out for herself.

A fair warning, this book contains a lot of teenage boy drama. Just the hard part of being friends with boys, I guess. But despite all of that, Whitnee is determined to go find out what’s really going on, on the other side of the river. With or without her friends. And what she finds will change her life forever.

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Overall I really enjoyed this unique story. I liked the characters, and the setting, and just the book in general. It’s something that I would love to continue reading, seeing as it’s a series. The story was just very different from the things that I’ve been reading lately, and it was needed. It’s not my new favourite, but not every book can be a new favourite, you know? Definitely check it out if you get the chance and you like teen books about camps with a fantastic twist!

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can here!

And if you’d like to keep up with the author on Twitter, you can here!

Thanks for reading! I hope you’re doing well, and remember, something as small as crossing a river could change your life!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.ca and affiliated sites.

Review: Vampire: The Masquerade Volume 1 by Tim Seeley, Tini Howard, Blake Howard, Adrian F. Wassel, Dev Pramanik, & Nathan C. Gooden

4/5 Stars 160 pages
Published March 16th 2021 by Vault Comics

With a beautifully dark and gothic artistic style, Vampire: The Masquerade Vol. 1 is a very interesting book about, you guessed it, vampires, and a game I’ve never played before.. These vampires, however, are a little different than the usual, being part of a secret society existing alongside our own, and anyone who dares cross them or reveal their secret is bound to be hunted down and killed in cold blood sooner or later. Perfect for the comic book readers that love a dark and grungy story full of blood and mysteries or anyone who has played the tabletop game.

Starting off right in the action, we see a vampire woman killing a human girl for finding out about her kind. Clearly, they will stop at nothing to hide their secret. Having fangs and drinking blood aren’t the only things that these vampires have though, because some can also use blood magic. But there’s an internal war going on in their society, threatening to split the city into two sections, Minneapolis, and the Minneapolis separatists. And that’s never good, especially for anyone caught in the middle. And to make things worse, there’s a group of killers mutilating and taking body parts from other vampires. And they’re unlike anything I could have imagined. I had a feeling from the beginning that this was going to be a very dark bloody book, and I was right. And I loved it.

Overall, this book was a great read and I really enjoyed getting to know more about everything going on. The characters all had real problems to deal with, other than being vampires, and I really enjoyed that, especially Cecily’s. I think she’s my favourite. I also really liked that there were character sheets to fill out in the back with tons of information for those sheets. It makes me want to try to play the game! If you like dark stories with tons of blood and mystery, and lots of points of view all weaved together, than I definitely recommend checking this out!

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If you’d like to grab a copy, you can here.

And if you’d like to follow some of the creators on Twitter, you can here!

Tim Seeley

Tini Howard

Adrian F. Wassel

Dev Pramanik

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe from vampires.

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.ca and affiliated sites.

Review: The Famoux by Kassandra Tate

5/5 Stars 400 Pages Published January 19th 2021 (first published January 1st 2014) Published by Wattpad Books

Okay, this book had crazy The Hunger Games vibes for me. Not exactly sure what it was, whether it was the apocalyptic world with the dystopia running things from a far away land, the weird leaders of the Famoux group that pick and prod at everything they can and rage when things aren’t perfect, or just the overall way the story was told, but let me tell you I loved every minute of it. Is this going to be a series? I can’t get enough! I need more, like, immediately. And I think you would too, if you liked books like that.

Emilee has always been different. In a world where every new generation of kids starting at the beginning of the  year have a different eye colour to mark how old they are, she was born with her mom’s eyes, an icy blue, instead of the generational flat grey. Sure, that may not make a big difference for her world in theory, but for the bullies at school, they’ve made a life out of not only tormenting her over it, but also abusing her and occasionally even throwing her in the creek. She thinks life can’t get any worse, until one day her mom, the only person who sticks up for her, seems to have run away. And she doesn’t have anyone to comfort her anymore. Her world has crumbled, and so has the rest of her family.

After having to cancel her life plans to move away, her sister hates her. Her brother doesn’t really care about her, and her father is absolutely destroyed. He doesn’t even leave his bed for work anymore. But just when she thinks there’s nothing left to look forward to in life, a new group of Famoux are revealed, and Emilee can’t get enough. The Famoux are the top tier of celebrities, always followed around by paparazzi, never getting a minute to themselves, especially when once a month for two days, the darkening happens. That’s a phenomenon when something takes over the skies, and doesn’t let any light through at all. But that’s when the fishbowl happens, when the Famoux are put in a glass house for everyone to watch in person and on broadcast 24/7, like the most intrusive kind of reality tv show.

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But something’s happening to them, too. After finding one of them dead at the bottom of the stairs, rumour start to churn about if the show killed her off for views, if they were getting a little stagnant, and they wanted to liven up the ratings a bit. And after a fight with her family, Emilee is determined on getting some air when she finds herself not only at the fishbowl with the rest of the crowd, but also with her bullies who are planning on tying her up in a basement and leaving her there for the duration of the darkening. But the person in charge of the Famoux finds her and offers her a different kind of lifestyle. To become one of them. And of course, Emilee takes it. That’s when Emeray is born, but what’s going on behind the scenes of the group is unlike anything she could have imagined.

This book was amazing, start to finish. I couldn’t put it down once I started, but that was fine because I really didn’t want to. Despite being so famous and rich, most of the characters seemed really down to earth, even in the worst of times. They do what they have to do to survive. But what I loved learning about the most, was their apocalyptic world. I actually would have liked to get to know it a little more than we did, but It’s enough, especially if there’s more coming in the future. I will say though, that most of the actual action in the plot happened in the last 10% of the book, which isn’t ideal for me, but I still loved it. I was just a little stressed with the race against the clock kind of situation and felt like things could have been explained more than they were. That being said, I think this is one of my new favourite books! If you’re a fan of post apocalypse, dystopia, celebrity drama and The Hunger Games, I really think you’ll like this book too.

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If you’d like to grab a copy, you can here!

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can here!

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great day.

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Capturing Fate (Fatal Truth #2) by Abbie Roads Book Blitz, Excerpt, & Giveaway

Capturing Fate
Abbie Roads
(Fatal Truth #2)
Publication date: January 28th 2021
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, Thriller

Can love untangle a web of lies and expose the truth?

A loner with a mysterious childhood…

FBI agent Dolan Watts is no stranger to pain. From his childhood spent in foster care to his daily grind of hunting down hardened criminals, it’s been the one constant through the years. Pain carved out gut feelings he can trust and instincts able to solve cases in record time. Until now. Confronted by a malicious new enemy who revels in mind games, Dolan begins to doubt his own perceptions. Fearing he’s spiraling into insanity, he seeks help from the one woman who can shine light into the darkness consuming him.

A woman haunted by a secret…

Psychologist Daughter Dawson sabotaged her own safety the moment she accepted Dolan as a client. Still, she felt compelled to help him. Dolan’s past mirrored many of the questions about her own, making his torment achingly familiar. Despite their growing attraction, her career demands she keep an ethical distance. Yet when she makes the mistake of confiding in him, both their lives are thrust into unimaginable danger.

Nightmares come to life…

When gruesome tragedy uncovers a serial killer’s twisted agenda, Daughter and Dolan must cling to each other if they hope to survive. Can they stop the body count from rising? Or will they find their only purpose from the start was to be pawns in a reign of evil?

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

She wanted more. All of it. Hand-holding and kissing and long, lazy lovemaking. She opened her eyes and hoped he could read her feelings in them. The next two years were going to be torture, and it was all her fault.

His face was naked with longing, desire, deep affection. It was beautiful to see this powerful man baring his emotions to her. Emotions that had everything to do with her, with wanting her. It was a heady drug, one she wanted to overdose on. If she never saw him after today, she’d forever remember the way he looked at her right now, like she was his entire universe.

He slid his hand into her hair, the movement causing a rash of goose bumps to break out all over her body. “I’m sorry for breaking the rules. I take all the blame.”

She opened her mouth to ask him what rule he’d broken, just as his lips landed on hers. The world fell out from under her. She grabbed on to him to keep from falling, latching onto his shirt and yanking him closer. His arms clamped around her, holding her even tighter to him, and the raw male strength of his body against hers was a revelation. Heat radiated off him like he was her own personal sun.

And then his tongue was in her mouth—warm and tasting like a wish. The salt of her tears mingled to make this kiss the one that all other kisses would be measured by.

And then it was over and he was pulling away. She wanted to beg him to keep kissing her, and maybe the world and the two years separating them would disappear.

He looked down at her, his face ravaged by the war raging inside him, the same one inside her—the nearly overwhelming need to be together, the rules be damned.

He stared at her for an endless moment, a muscle in his jaw ticking, then turned and walked to his car.

Tears flowed as she watched him drive away. At the end of the parking lot, he stopped before pulling out onto the road. She couldn’t see inside the car, but knew he was watching her in the rearview mirror. A sob choked in her throat. If she cried any harder, he’d turn around and come back for her, but she couldn’t let him.

He drove out of the parking lot and out of her life. She turned to her car and saw the bouquet he’d given her sitting on the roof.

She mashed her face in the pretty flowers and watered them with her tears.

Author Bio:

Seven Things about Abbie Roads:
1. She loves Snicker Parfaits. Gotta start with what’s most important, right?
2. She writes dark emotional books featuring damaged characters, but always gives her hero and heroine a happy ending… after torturing them for three hundred pages.
3. By day she’s a mental health counselor known for her blunt, honest style of therapy. At night she burns up the keyboard. Well… Burn might be too strong a word. She at least sits with her hands poised over the keyboard, waiting for inspiration to strike. And when it does–the keyboard might get a little warm.
4. She can’t stand it when people drive slowly in the passing lane. Just saying. That’s major annoying. Right?
5. She loves taking pictures of things she thinks are pretty.
6. She lives in Marion, Ohio with her favorite fellow and two fur babies.
7. Being a published author is a dream come true for her.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Amazon / Dangerously Dark Darlings Facebook Group

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Also check out this giveaway on the author’s website!

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Book Birthday Review: And Then She Vanished (Joseph Bridgeman #1) by Nick Jones

5/5 Stars 350 pages
Published February 2nd 2021 by Blackstone Publishing

Something I don’t get to read very often, are these kind of time travel stories. Ones without tech and the usual aspects of science fiction. It’s not in the future, it’s in the now, and it doesn’t have any of the flashy bells and whistles. And that’s exactly what I love about them. It’s gritty, it’s raw, and it’s just so interesting to me that I absolutely cannot get enough of it. This book was no exception. From the moment I picked it up I knew I would be hooked, and to my delight, it won’t end at the last page. It’s something that will continue to bring me joy in the future. And I’m almost ecstatic about it.

As a young teenager, Joe’s life was torn apart when he took his little sister Amy to a local fair. Trying to win a prize for her, he took his eye off of her for only seconds when she vanished into thin air, never to be seen again. No one ever found out what happened to her. It destroyed his family, and his sense of self worth. As an adult, Joe finds himself drinking himself to sleep every night and quickly running out of money, as well as being on the verge of losing his house. But Joe has a secret, a special power that seems unrelated to everything else. Sometimes object speak to him, they tell him their story through a kind of vision on his head when he touches them. And then after losing too many nights to insomnia, his friend convinces him to try hypnotherapy. That’s when everything changes.

After his first session he feels like it hasn’t really done anything, but that night he time travels back in time, just an hour. He watches himself do his nightly routine, all the while, he’s frozen with fear. And then it happens again, only farther back, and for a longer time. And then he starts trying to do it. That’s when he realizes that he might be able to change his past, make his life better, and even save his sister, and his entire family.

This book was amazing from the beginning until the end. I didn’t want to put it down for a second, for fear of missing something, even though I know it’s a book, and I can just go back and re read it if I do. Joe’s story, and the world crafted around him, is just so intense and interesting that it’s almost believable. The emotions portrayed in this story are so real and raw, that the characters really seem like actual people you could know. And the best part of all, is that I wasn’t left with any questions at the end, which I think is a pretty hard thing to do. Everything was like a perfectly put together puzzle, and I couldn’t get enough of it. We get to watch Joe go from a depressed hermit who’s lost everything in his life but his few friends, to someone who actually wants to put effort into his life again. And I think the most important part, is that the story really teaches you about having to let go the things that you can’t change, and you have to start living your life before it’s too late.

I think this book is for anyone looking for a really heartfelt story with a scifi twist that’s not too overwhelming. If you are a fan of books like How to Stop Time by Matt Haig, and The Time Traveller’s Wife, I think you’ll really enjoy this. It has the same kind of subtle scifi aspect as those books, and I loved this one just as much as I did those. I can’t wait to see what comes next for Joe, and I think that with the absolutely breathtaking cover that this book has, it would make a beautiful addition to anyone’s bookshelf.

If you’d like to check it out for yourself, you can grab a copy here, through my Amazon Associates link.

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can on Twitter here!

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great day.

Starfire Angels (Dark Angel Chronicles #1) by Melanie Nilles Review

4/5 Stars 172 pages
Published December 19th 2013 Prairie Star Publishing

You know how I get, I have a vision of a kind of book in my mind, and I just don’t feel right until I read it. Luckily, it was pretty easy for me to find an angel book in my library, and this one was so interesting I was easily able to dive right into it. A different take on the usual kind of archangel books I’ve read, this one contained a new species of aliens I’ve never read before, ones that look exactly like humans and are able to hide their huge angel wings to blend in. I really enjoyed reading it.

The main character is a girl named Raea, who was orphaned at five years old, but luckily taken in by her aunt and uncle, and two younger cousins. She’s always felt kind of off, but didn’t know why until the topics in this book came up. Turns out she’s actually part of an alien species, and the quiet creepy guy behind her is the only one that can help her. She’s a little immature about the entire situation, wanting to date the hot foreign guy, but what could you ask from a teenager who found out she has mystical powers and insanely huge angel wings? She eventually finds her footing just in time to save her secret.

There is a part that I didn’t really enjoy reading, and that is that there’s a memory that she’s trying to dig out of her brain just so she can know it. While I understand it, I don’t really know why it was added to the story, seeing as it wasn’t important, and I feel like it was just put in there to make you uncomfortable and hate the bad guy in the story more. I didn’t really trust or like him before that, and I feel like the trauma being brought up and just kind of thrown in there wasn’t necessary. Just warning you, if you get upset at the topic of sexual assault than just be warned that they do discuss it in this book. It’s pretty far in, though and it’s really at a time that you wouldn’t expect it.

The story was exciting and the characters were a little cringey at times, but I did enjoy reading it, and I’m interested in the next book after this. I’m hoping that we get to know more about Raea’s family’s home through the portal, and that we get to know more about the species in general. What their language is all about, and what their abilities are all about. Why they are the keepers of alien life forms in crystals and all that. I definitely recommend checking it out if you’re looking for an interesting book about angels to read, and you don’t mind young adult fiction.

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If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, through my Amazon Associates link.

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe.

The Rising Storm (Paradigm #1) by Ceri A. Lowe Review

5/5 Stars 340 pages
Published April 4th 2018 by Bookouture

Wow, I knew this book would be right up my alley, I just didn’t know how much I would actually love it. And I really did love it. A new and exciting take on the well worn path of a young adult dystopia novel, I really couldn’t get enough. It very much gave me Fallout vibes, and if you know me, you know I’m obsessed with that game. I couldn’t ask for more from it, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the trilogy.

Following a fifteen year old boy named Carter, we see his life unfold as he’s forced underground to pay his duties to the community, to freeze himself until they need him sometime in the next twenty years. He’s giving up what family he has left, his grandfather, after his parents passed away, and really everyone he knows. But he knows it’s what he has to do for the good of the world that he lives in. What he doesn’t know, is that someone’s pregnant with his children. And the world he thaws into is much more dysfunctional than the one he was frozen in fifteen years before. And most of all, that they think he’s their only hope for change.

It also follows Alice, a child who’s stuck in the middle of a devastatingly changing world almost ninety years before Carter’s frozen. She’s left alone in the middle of a flooding world, forced to fend for herself until help eventually comes in the form of the Community that eventually blossoms into the world that Carter knows. The two children are woven together in rotating chapters, and like I said at the beginning, I really couldn’t get enough of this book. I powered through it like it was nothing, and it really makes me want to read more dystopia novels, like now.

Exciting and unique, the thing I loved most about this book was how the two children’s stories were put together. They seem very different on the surface, but the more we get to know about them, the more we realize that the stories are a lot more similar than we originally thought. Both go through hardships, and both want what’s best for the community, but they have differing opinions that get them into trouble with the people around them. Originally one was sort of a rebel against the community and the other was everything that they wanted, but as we learn, they turn into something else entirely and find themselves in completely different places by the end of the book. I don’t think I would change anything about it at all, and I’m eager to start the next book in the trilogy as soon as I get a chance. One thing I was confused about however, was if everything was horrifically flooded for the better part of five years, wouldn’t all the houses be horribly water damaged? Or did it just storm and not horribly flood? Anyways, not important. I loved it, and that’s it.

If you’re into young adult dystopia novels with a new take on the subject, than I definitely think you should give this one a chance. Who knows? You might love it just as much as I did. You can grab a copy here, through my Amazon Associates link.

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can here, on Twitter!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well.

A Love Across Time by Genevieve Jane Review

I know what you’re thinking, another fairy tale retelling? And honestly, I’m thinking the same thing. This one, however, is a bit different than the others I’ve read, though it wasn’t my new favourite. It was an okay read, one that I had trouble getting into fully, and that’s why I only gave it two stars.

2/5 Stars 327 pages Published November 2nd 2020

Following two people, Kathryn, in a few years past Canada, and Jacob, in a few years in the 1800’s in Germany, we get to learn their two stories. Kathryn, not abused but simply neglected by her too busy parents, going to school and finding herself after their death, and eventually finding a romance for herself in Jake, a professor at her university. And Jacob, after losing his first love, trying to find himself again despite a curse a witch has placed on him, causing him to lose love after love until he finds the true love of his life, however many years that may take, and when he deserves it.

I had a really hard time getting into this book. I don’t know why, because it goes through all of the fairy tales I enjoyed as a kid, but it just was kind of boring for me. The way that things were described kind of made me think they weren’t a big deal, when thinking back on them, they were a huge deal in the book. Everything seemed kind of flippant, and by the end of them, I feel like I didn’t connect with the characters. And that’s really the biggest problem I had with this book. It just wasn’t for me.

Overall, I think if you’re looking for a fresh take on a romance novel full of fairy tale retellings, than maybe you might like this one more than I did.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, through my Amazon Associates link.

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a great day and are doing well.

Witch Unexpected (The Thirteenth Sign #1) by Debbie Cassidy Book Blitz

Witch Unexpected
Debbie Cassidy
(The Thirteenth Sign #1)
Publication date: December 29th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Urban Fantasy

An ancient war, a tenuous truce, a delicate balance.

Sounds ominous right?

It is.

The tri-pack collective has existed for centuries—three dire wolf packs bound to the most powerful coven in the world through a single witch born under the thirteenth sign of the zodiac.

Through this covenant they keep an ancient threat unlike any other at bay.

At the next blood moon, I’ll be that witch—bound to the three leaders of the dire wolf packs. Responsible for keeping the peace.

That is If I make it to the blood moon alive, because someone is trying to kill me.

Now the hot-headed wolves are going to have to work together to make sure our inventive little murderer doesn’t succeed.

And me?

Well, I don’t take kindly to being targeted, so whoever’s gunning for me better watch out, because they just became the hunted.

An Urban Fantasy Romance filled with witches, shifters, warlocks, Gargoyles, Ghosts and Vampires.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Author Bio:

Debbie Cassidy lives in England, Bedfordshire, with her three kids and very supportive husband. Coffee and chocolate biscuits are her writing fuels of choice, and she is still working on getting that perfect tower of solitude built in her back garden. Obsessed with building new worlds and reading about them, she spends her spare time daydreaming and conversing with the characters in her head – in a totally non psychotic way of course. She writes Urban Fantasy, Fantasy and Reverse Harem Fantasy. All her books contain plenty of action, romance and twisty plots.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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Heart Attack, Vol. 1: Against the Wall by Shawn Kittelsen, Eric Zawadzki, Jon Moisan, Pat Brosseau, Mike Spicer, Michael Garland, Carina Taylor, & Andres Juarez Review

5/5 Stars 160 pages
Published August 4th 2020 by Image Comics

Do you love X-Men just as much as I do? People who have special powers each as unique as they are? What about a world where they’re segregated from the people who don’t have powers and the government demonizes them? Than this book will be perfect for you. Not only do they have their own powers, but occasionally, they can combo their powers together, creating even stronger ones. Don’t expect this book to be completely straightforward though, because there are some crazy twists in the story even I didn’t expect.

At the beginning, we see a young man and woman in an alley, making graffiti. Pretty harmless, right? Well not to everyone. Because special Variant officers come and take them down, treating the one they catch as a hardened criminal, and taking her far away and not letting her see the light of day. She’s missing, and the only person that can help her is Charlie, the young man who was with her, who secretly films the assault on Nona and uploads it for the world to see. But is he doing it for the right reasons?

Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

He then joins up with a team of women who are determined to change the world, and how people see and treat Variants, the people with powers. But it’s going to be  a long road before they get justice, and before the officers even begin to see them as people. But they’re just as much people as anyone else, most of them barely having any powers at all. The world needs to change, and they’re going to do whatever they can to do it.

Photo by Oleg Magni on Pexels.com

This book was one that I knew as soon as I started it, I was going to be obsessed with. I love the art, it’s so cartoony and amazing and it just fits the story so well, even the violent parts that aren’t so innocent. I also love the bright colours in this, as a girl with coloured hair, I always love a main character with brightly coloured hair like me. I couldn’t get enough of it. And I can’t wait to check out the next volume. Definitely check it out if you get the chance, and even if you don’t think you would love it, I think you should just try it out. I’m sure you’ll be as obsessed as I am.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, through my Amazon Associates link.

And if you’d like to keep up with the creators, you can do so here! I’ve link some Twitter accounts for you to follow.

Shawn Kittelsen, Eric Zawadzki, Jon Moisan, Pat Brosseau, Mike Spicer, Michael Garland, Carina Taylor, & Andres Juarez.

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and saying safe.