Sarah’s Review of Radiance by Alyson Noel

I am a huge fan of Alyson Noel’s other series, first loving the Immortals series, then most recently the soul seekers series. This book, Radiance, is the first in her series of a Riley Bloom Book. We first met Riley in the Immortals series as the younger sister to Ever, who has recently died and has been able to visit her sister, Ever, as a ghost. Ever finally comes to terms with the death of her family and convinces Riley to cross over the bridge, and this is where this series begins.

Riley has finally crossed over a bridge to a place called Here. Riley, along with Buttercup, her dog, have now been reunited with her parents. Just after getting settled into her new life, or death, she begins school. On her first day there the Council summons her. The Council explains that the afterlife isn’t all about relaxation and fun, you also have to work, and Riley has the new job as a Soul Catcher. Her teacher, Bodhi, is a very unique boy whom she is trying to understand. Riley isn’t overly thrilled with having to have a job in the afterlife, especially since she feels like she was already robbed of her life on the Earth plane. All she wants to do is go back.

Riley, Bodhi, and Buttercup travel back to the Earth plane in order to complete Riley’s first assignment, which turns out to be helping a boy, known as the Radiant Boy, to cross the bridge. The Radiant Boy has been haunting for many centuries in a castle in England. Can Riley be the first one to get him to cross when all others before her have failed?

While this first book wasn’t as captivating as the Immortals series, it was entertaining. It was easy to read and followed one simple plot line. I feel as though this series is geared towards a younger audience, and, of course, fans of the Immortals series. While I found the plot to be not overly exciting, she does draw upon people’s fears and Riley has to overcome her own fears in order to do her job. While I didn’t love this book as much as I loved the Immortals series, I did like it, and will continue to read the rest of the series. I am curious to see what other challenges Riley will face, and I want to experience more of her life in the Here and Now. I do wish there was more explanation into that world in this book.

Her character development and rich descriptions bring you right into the book, Noel never fails to deliver in making you feel like you are right there, experiencing it all with them.

Sarah’s Review of The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

I’m not sure where to start with my review of this book. It was one of the most powerful stories I have ever read. Powerful where as it invoked so many emotional feelings and had the ability to place you right in the moment. First off I should begin by giving a brief introduction as to what this story is about.

You first meet the main character, Sage Singer, who is a magnificent baker. She has inherited this talent and works all night in order to make sure all of the bakeries items are ready for the morning rush. She hides herself in the kitchen and only works at night so she can try to escape how lonely she is after her mother’s death and the horrible memories associated with the accident. Sage has been attending a grief support group since the death of her mother and it is there that she meets Josef Weber, an elderly gentleman who has recently lost his wife. Josef is a retired teacher and a beloved man in their community. They quickly form a friendship.

This friendship becomes tested when Josef reveals a horrifying truth about his past and asks Sage for a huge favour that she is unsure if she can go through with, he wants her to help him die. The next little bit that I write may contain a few spoilers about the secret, but will not give away anything from the magnitude of the story. First off, you need to understand that Sage comes from a Jewish family, yet she has decided not to practice her faith like the rest of her family. Her grandmother is a survivor of the Holocaust, in particular, Auschwitz. The secret that Josef has unloaded on Sage is that he was a soldier, an SS guard during World War II, a Nazi. He no longer wants to live with the horrors that he has done in his past and just wants to leave the world, with the help of a Jewish friend whom may grant him his forgiveness. Sage needs to decide if she can forgive someone for a crime that wasn’t committed against her, but against thousands of other people who share the same religious background. She also needs to face her moral conscious and decide if she will grant Josef his one last wish. Upon hearing both Josef’s story about his time as a SS soldier, and reading Sage’s grandmother’s recount of her life during that time, you find that their paths have crossed before.

I cannot begin to describe the feelings and emotions that awaken within you while reading this book, especially the second part (the novel is broken into three parts), which is Sage’s grandmother, Minka’s, first-hand account of her life during World War II. It’s heartbreaking to know that so many people suffered the same fate, and yet many more lost their lives, just because. This book was difficult to read due to the content, but I am glad I did. Sometimes I found that I had to put the book down just because the content was so overwhelming, but I am so thankful that I have that option. It makes you wonder just what your life would have been like, and what you would have done, had you lived through that.

Throughout the book, Picoult adds in another story, which seems to be mimicking the life of Minka. Both stories being interwoven make for an interesting read. One story leads you to think about the other.

Picoult really did her research and brought to life a horrific past that needs to be remembered. I cannot recommend this book enough. You will not only enjoy the rich narrative, but you will also be enlightened and educated. Even though the story she wrote is fiction, it is based on facts and real life events. If you can, please get yourself a copy and read. By far one of the best books I have read.

I am still making my way through Jodi Picoult's novel, The Storyteller, but I just wanted to say, WOW! Never has a book made me feel so much before. The novel is broken into three parts, and I just finished the second one. The rich descriptives and narrative made me feel like I was right there, and the story is so heartwrenching. I'm not sure what I will write in my blog about it....It's a book that you don't want to put down, but sometimes you have to because the story is just so strong that you need to give yourself a break. I can't wait to finish the final part and write my thoughts on the story as a whole. For those of you who have read it, you know what I am talking about, for those that haven't, well I won't say anything until my actual blog, but seriously, everyone should read this book.

Sarah's Review of Horizon by Alyson Noel

 

I couldn’t wait to read the final book in Alyson Noel’s ‘the soul seekers’ series, Horizon. I read the first three all in a row and had to patiently wait for the fourth one to come out. I couldn’t wait to see what was in store for the main characters, Daire and Dace, along with their group of friends.

I can honestly say this final book did not disappoint. It was full of secrets, suspense, mystery and magic. The first three books, Fated, Echo, and Mystic, set you up for what will happen in the Horizon, the final chapter of either Daire Santos life or the life of all of the Richters. Daire Santos is a seeker, and the last one left, which means she is meant to save everyone she cares for from destruction from the doings of the Richter family, who are evil. In the third novel, we found out that Daire lost her grandmother, Paloma, who has taught her all she knows about being a seeker, so now it is entirely up to her to do what she was destined to do and fight against the Richters. She must try to put aside her grieving for her abuela in order to save her friends and everyone in Enchantment. Dace, the love of Daire’s life, has found a dark piece within his soul that is trying to consume him. Dace is worried it will destroy both himself and Daire, but Daire is not willing to give up on their love. While they are torn apart for the time being, you are left to wonder if their love can survive all of the odds that are stacked against them. This book is a wonderful story of good versus evil. How you need to learn to follow your instincts and look deep within yourself in order to find the truth.

The ending was wonderful, but then you read the epilogue and find a huge twist that nobody could see coming, which leaves me wondering if there will be a spin-off from this series one day in the future.

I recommend this entire series to anyone who loves a good mystery filled with magic, good and evil, light and dark, even demons. I loved each book in the series. I don't want to write anything more in case of spoiling the books. Read them and enjoy!

Sarah’s Review of Four Summoner’s Tales, by Kelley Armstrong, Christopher Golden, David Liss, and Jonathan Maberry.

This was an interesting novel. Four Summoner's Tales is actually four novellas within one book, each one very different than the others. Christopher Golden and Jonathan Maberry came up with the idea of writing short novellas all with the same premise, to see what different minds could create. They came up with this idea after discussing how many different stories all share essentially the same plot. So each author was given one premise in which to create a story about. Their premise had to do with raising the dead, for a price. It was amazing to see the different spins and individual approaches these authors took in writing their story. Not one is alike, yet all have the same basic premise.

The first story in the book is called Suffer the Children, written by Kelley Armstrong. She has long been one of my favourite authors and this book actually fell into my hands after winning one of her online contests! The basic idea in this story is that there are many children in a small town who have recently died from a disease. A few days later, two mysterious men arrive, claiming that they can bring these children back to life, if only for a small fee. But what that fee is, is rather interesting. The main characters, Preacher, his wife, and their adopted daughter, Addie, think that this idea is a very bad one indeed and wish to put a stop to it, only to find they may be too late. This story was very well written and kept the reader engaged through the entire thing. I also enjoyed how she wrote from a few different viewpoints, in order to get a better sense of what was going on.

The second story in the book is called Pipers, written by Christopher Golden. In this story, a gang comes in and kills a number of townspeople all in one night. Shortly afterward, a new man comes to town offering to bring all of their loved ones back from the dead, but only if they all choose to participate, and they also find out that the price they have to pay is that they need to do something for this man. The main theme around the raising of the dead in this book is revenge. The man wishes to create an undead army. It was an interesting read, and you realize you never know who you can really trust.

The third story is called A Bad Season for Necromancy”, by David Liss. This story takes you back to England, 1712. A young man, with the name of January, escapes his abusive father and leaves with everything that he can steal from what his father has. He builds himself a new life and tricks people into believing he is wealthier than he is, and in doing so he finds love. But things take a turn for the worse when his father hunts him down and exposes his lies. January finds a book amongst his father’s possessions that shows him how to raise the dead and he takes revenge on those new found friends who abandoned him when they learned the truth of his past, including the love of his life. I love how this book is written, and the way it flows leaves you wanting to keep turning the pages.

The fourth and last story in this book is titled “Alive Day” by Jonathan Maberry. This particular story takes you to Afghanistan in the middle of the war-torn country. A U.S. military team is sent in for a search-and-rescue mission, only to find themselves up against something more ancient and more horrendous than they could ever imagine in their wildest dreams. Maberry takes you back and forth from the perspective of the military operative in charge of the search-and-rescue mission with the leader of the team that has gone missing. This story was a little bit harder to get into for me because I don’t typically read books about the military and war. But after the first few chapters, which are relatively short, the storyline gets intense, and I found that it was very hard to put the book down.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the stories within this book, and if you are looking for a fun read, I would recommend this. The stories themselves are short, but powerful. And it is very interesting to see just how different a person can make a story based on one premise. Each story is so unique and so unexpected. I never imagined the course these stories would take.

Sarah's Review of Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. In this book, Aura is a teenage girl who was the first one who was born and could see and communicate with ghosts from birth. Every child born after her has the ability to see ghosts and talk to them. No one is sure why this Shift happened or what caused it, but Aura is curious to figure it out as she seems to be the catalyst, at least the first one that it happened to, and she wonders if she had something to do with it.

Aura’s boyfriend, Logan, is in a band with his siblings, and they are playing a very important gig on the same day as Logan’s birthday. This birthday was supposed to be Logan’s best birthday ever, but something happened and it turned out that it was his last birthday. Logan is dead, and Aura is left all alone. Well, not entirely alone. Since the Shift happened, Aura and those younger than her can see and talk to ghosts. Even though Aura wanted to figure out why it happened so she could fix things, now that Logan is dead and she can still communicate and spend time with him, she suddenly has a change of heart. Even though Logan is dead, to her he is almost real.

In the meantime, Aura meets a new friend, Zachary, who is very understanding, and Aura finds her feelings for him growing. She must figure out her relationships with both the dead and the living, and figure out which boy should be in her heart. While these relationships are very complicated, each boy seems to play a key role to figuring out the secret of the Shift.

As soon as I began reading Shade, I was immediately drawn into Aura’s world. How devastating would it be to not only lose who you thought was the love of your life, but to continue to see him as a ghost every day, but not be able to touch him? Aura has to deal with so many mixed feelings all while trying to figure out why the Shift took place and what secrets it holds. As Aura is struggling with her grief and trying to find ways to make her ghost boyfriend seem real, she is faced with feelings for a new friend, Zachary, who is good looking, has an accent, and is beyond understanding. Aura’s relationship with Zachary grows and she has to decide who her future is going to be with? You may think it is an obvious answer, obviously the boy who is still alive, but there is more to it than that. Since the Shift happened, all ghosts are violet-hued, and try to talk to you to clear up any unfinished business. They can even testify in their own murder cases. But some ghosts turn Shade, which is to say they lose all control and are unstable and very dangerous. Aura is afraid of Logan turning Shade and is willing to do anything for him.

I loved the plot of the book, and by the end, even though one problem seems to be worked out for the time-being, Aura still doesn’t have answers to the Shift and why it happened. I am left wondering where this series is headed and what we will learn in the books to come. Even though this book has a sad undertone, the author writes in a way that is not too upsetting, overall a very pleasant read.

Sarah's Review of Evermore by Alyson Noel

 

Evermore by AlysonNoel is the first in “the immortals” series. I have previously read them all, but wanted to revisit them as I enjoyed them so much. And even though I had already read it, I still found that every time I had to put the book down I just wanted to pick it up again and see what was going to happen next! Alyson Noel is one of my favourite authors. She has this way of writing that reels you in and keeps you there. Her rich descriptions make you feel as though you are a part of it.

This first book, Evermore, in her series introduces you to Ever Bloom. A sixteen year old girl who lost her parents, little sister, and dog after a terrible car accident. For some reason she was the only one to survive and is now residing with her aunt. Ever since the accident she has been bothered with psychic abilities that she cannot control and therefore has become a bit of a freak at her school, as she tries to drown out everyone’s thoughts with a hoodie and earphones. She can hear other people’s thoughts and see their auras. She has made two best friends at the school who are a bit of outcasts themselves. Haven is a co-dependent girl who tries every fad to fit in, most recently being goth. Miles is a bit of a drama queen. Just when Ever thinks she has things under control, as much as she can get them, she meets the new boy, Damen Auguste, who is gorgeous, rich and worldly. For some reason, he is the only one who can stop the voices and cease the auras. She is drawn into his world of mystery and is left with more questions than she can handle. But despite it all she has fallen so deeply in love with him she’s not sure what to do.

This book has so many great things. Not only is it centered on a love story, which seems to span generations, but it also has magic, suspense, paranormal activity, and lots and lots of drama. There are so many twists and turns that you will keep guessing through it all. Alyson Noel delivers a remarkable story, leaving you wanting more. Even though I have read the entire series, I plan on re-reading all of them again. There are six books in total in the series: Evermore, Blue Moon, Shadowland, Dark Flame, Night Star, and Everlasting. I can easily say that I enjoyed them all. If you have yet to read them, I would suggest picking up at least the first one, and enter into their magical world.