Category: book review

Kissing Frogs, by Alisha Sevigny

Kissing Frogs is Alisha Sevigny’s first young adult novel. Ms Sevigny’s website says “A shameless romantic, Alisha and her husband have travelled the world together. On a trip to Panama Alisha fell in love with the country, culture, and their national emblem, the Golden Frog.” The result of that trip is her first novel.

Jessica Stone is popular: she has lots of friends, a hot boyfriend, and plans to hit the beach for Spring Break. But Jessica wasn’t always a cool kid. She used to be a really smart, goody-two-shoes type of kid. None of her new friends know about her past, and Jessica intends to keep it that way.

But Jessica’s Spring Break plans come to a screeching halt when she finds out she’s failing Biology. Her only chance to pass: a trip to Panama with the Conservation Club to save the Golden Frog. Like that’s not bad enough, one of her partners on the trip is Travis Henley, who knew her back in her nerdy days.

Except Travis has changed. Oh, he’s still the annoying prankster Jessica remembers, but he has depth. And Jessica finds herself wondering if she still has depth, or if her obsession with popularity has changed her beyond recognition. Soon Jessica finds herself on the adventure of her life as the group fights to save the Golden Frog before it’s lost forever.

A Fairy Tale, by Shanna Swendson

Shanna Swendson is the author of the Enchanted Inc. series, a humorous, breezy fantasy series about an unmagical girl who moves to New York City and finds that the city is far weirder when you see things that no one else can see. Her newest novel is A Fairy Tale, the first book in a new series about fairies, New York City, and family.

Sophie Drake is a ballet teacher in a small Louisiana town. It’s not a glamorous life, but it’s safe. A long time ago, Sophie danced with the fairies, learning to dance like the Fae: full of magic and wonder. However, the Fae wanted more than dancing. When they tried to steal her little sister, Emily, Sophie walked away from them and into her safe little small-town world.

Now Emily is missing again, and Sophie knows the Fae are responsible, so she heads to New York City, determined to find Emily and bring her back. But there is more at stake than Sophie realizes. A rebel queen wants to rule all of fairyland, desperate to take over for the missing queen. She wants to unite all of the fairies and conquer the human world. Emily is merely a pawn in her game. But Sophie is having none of it. She‘s going to save her sister, no matter what it takes.

With the help of a wounded cop searching for his own missing person, two eccentric elderly ladies who know more than they should, and the laziest bulldog imaginable, the small-town ballet teacher goes to battle with the Fae. Be warned: these fairies aren’t Tinkerbelle. Winsome and sly, they are cleverer and more powerful than Sophie imagines. Then again, so is she.

Shanna Swendson’s writing style is light-hearted, but fast-paced. Her characters are distinct, and so realistic they seem to step off the page and into reality. Swendson seamlessly blends the magical Fae and their realm with the sometimes-fantastical world of law enforcement, Broadway, and New York City, to create an intriguing world that draws the reader in and doesn’t let go until the last page has been turned.

(Galley courtesy of NLA Digital LLC via NetGalley.)

Populatti, by Jackie Baardenwerper

Populatti, by Jackie Bardenwerper

Jackie Bardenwerper is a self-published author of young adult fiction. Her first novel, On the Line, is an honorable mention recipient in the Writer’s Digest Self-Published eBook Awards. Her second novel is Populatti, and deals with issues faced by young adults every day, including social media struggles and bullying.

At sixteen, Livi Stanley thinks she has it all: a new life free from the traumas of her middle-school-year awkwardness and unpopularity, great grades, good friends, and membership in Populatti, an exclusive website that allows her access to the hottest social scene around. Which includes Brandon Dash, baseball star and Livi’s long-time crush. But along with all the benefits, membership in Populatti has a catch: the other members can vote you out at any time.

When the online rumors start, growing uglier by the second, Livi’s place as a popster is threatened. Her friends don’t really seem to care, so Livi will have to look for help in places she never imagined. With her insider view of the reality behind Populatti, Livi has some questions: Why is everyone voting against her? Are these people really her friends at all? And does she even want to stay in Populatti, no matter what the votes decide?

Populatti is a book dealing with real issues faced by young adults today, in a world colored by the distorted lens of social media. The characters are well-imaged people, not cardboard cutouts, and the trials that Livi goes through are realistic—if also slightly horrific. This fast-paced novel captures the nuances of the high school social scene, and one girl’s realization that there is more to life than popularity and social media.

(Galley provide by JKS Communications)

Populatti Blog Tour

Kirin Rise: Cast of Shadows, by Ed Cruz

Ed Cruz is a martial artist who was born in the Philippines and raised the U.S. He has a large online following, and had devoted himself to mastering the art of Wing Chin Gung Fu, the only art ever created by a woman. His first novel, the first in a series, is Kirin Rise: The Cast of Shadows.

Kirin Rise doesn’t look like much: she’s tiny, unassuming, and most of all, female. So when she appears in front of the cameras at Chum Night—the weekly blood bath publicized by the mighty United Federation of Mixed Fighting—the world is sure of her defeat, and her probable death. But with one hit, Kirin shatters all assumptions and catapults herself into a world she never imagined.

America in 2032 is a different place. Gone are family values and helping out your neighbors. In their places are selfishness and corporate greed—led by the Federation and its lust for total control. With the Federation usurping the place of every single competitive sport and dominating the government and the public eye, all eyes are on Kirin Rise, as she opposes the most feared fighters in the world.

But her opponents in the ring aren’t the only ones Kirin has to worry about. The Federation is more powerful than she imagined, and soon everyone she loves is in danger—her family, her friends, her Sifu, and Hunter, the guy she’s known for years. Can Kirin Rise win against the Federation fighters, or will she find defeat as she battles corporate corruption.

Kirin Rise: Cast of Shadows is set in a world very similar to our own, with a familiar culture and way of life. But this world is overshadowed by the Federation, which has spread its tentacles throughout every facet of existence, leading to a dark stain of corruption. The characters, particularly Kirin and Sifu, are larger than life, and not stereotypical martial artist figures of student and master. The characters have distinct personalities, wants, and goals, and they fully inhabit their world, a terrifying rendering of what our world could be like if things stay on the course they are on.

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