Review: The Time Keeper

 

By - Mitch Albom / Published - September 11, 2012

Father Time was once a living man.  His name was Dor and he was the first human to measure time.  He lived 6,000 years ago when life and time were simpler.  After a tragic illness took his wife, Dor wanted to reach the heavens and demand more time.  The result of this action was the fall of the Tower of Babel and him being placed in a cave where he had to listen to any mention of time.  Sarah is a girl in modern day New York.  She wants time to speed up so that she can be with the boy who is showing interest in her.  Sarah believes that if Ethan spends time with her, he will see how wonderful she is.  Victor is a millionaire in Manhattan.  He is dying and wants to cheat death.  Victor wants to freeze his body so that it can be healed of its cancer in the future and be given another lifetime to live.

 

After 6,000 years, Dor is release from his cave and sent to modern times to save these two people.  He must learn several lifetimes’ worth of information in order to succeed in this task.  He must also determine what he is supposed to do to save them.  The Time Keeper will take the reader on a spiritual journey through time.  Why is time so important?  Do humans spend too much of their precious time thinking about time?  This story is told through the eyes of these three different individuals, but the story still flows smoothly as you move through time and locations.  Readers of Mitch Albom’s other books with not be disappointed in this novel.   Goodreads Book Information 

Review: Freaks Like Us

 

By - Susan Vaught / Published - September 4, 2012

Jason, Derrick and Sunshine are Alphabets. This is not an official description; they gave it to themselves and others like them. They all have some sort of a mental disability with shortened descriptions (ADHD, MDD, BPD and GAD). Jason is SCZI (Schizophrenic) and hears multiple voices in his head. Derrick and Sunshine have been his best friends since childhood and they are now in the last year of high school.

Jason and Sunshine also have a secret. Sunshine asked him to do something for her on Saturday and keep it a secret. Since she is his best friend he did not hesitate to honor this request. Unfortunately, his disability is causing him to wonder if he is remembering Saturday correctly. Did she really ask? Did he really do it? This confusion may not be that big of a problem until Monday night when Sunshine goes missing. She never made it home from the corner that Jason, Derrick and her parted ways at after the bus ride home. 

Since Sunshine is a disabled minor, the local authorities decided to call in the FBI for assistance. Everyone is a suspect including Jason. Jason doesn’t think he did anything to Sunshine, but the voices in his head make everything so confusing he is unsure about his own innocence. Freaks Like Us will pull the reader in after just one chapter. Jason’s persona comes alive as one reads about different issues that Alphabets have to deal with including the fact that no one wants to listen to them or take them seriously. The reader will experience characters they love, characters they hate and characters they just can’t decide upon. This is a great coming of age story that will have the reader laughing and crying throughout.  Goodreads Book Information 

Review: Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1)

 

By - Sarah Rees Brennan / Published September 11, 2012

Kami Glass has a friend she has never met. They speak to each other through their minds and have done this since they were babies. Kami is unsure if he is imaginary or real. That is until Jared appears in her small town with his family, the Lynburns. The Lynburns have sworn to protect the village residents, but after their return bad things start happening. Kami decides to use her journalistic prowess to find out who is behind these events and no one or nothing can keep her from this investigation. Will Kami discover the secrets of Sorry-In-The-Vale in time to save her friends? Unspoken is a heart racing first book in a series that will leave the reader panting for the next installment.   Goodreads Book Information 

Review: Wilde's Army (Darkness Falls #2)

 

By - Krystal Wade

Published - July 4, 2012

Katriona has had everything taken away from her. She is in a new world where she is destined to bring Light and vanquish Darkness. This destiny was prophesied before she was born and the ramifications are still unraveling. At the beginning of Wilde’s Army Katriona discovers that all of the residents in the compound have been taken hostage except Perth. Perth and Katriona were betrothed as payment for the building of the compounds. Unfortunately, Katriona is in love with Arland and they believed that Perth did not know she had returned. Katriona must learn to trust Perth and convince him to help her rescue the others. If only things were that simple. Not only does she need to rescue her new friends, comrades and family members, they all must travel to Willow Falls so that she can complete her destiny, unite the three peoples of the world and form an army to fight Darkness.

Wilde’s Army is just as fast paced as the first book, Wilde’s Fire, and keeps the reader anticipating the next chapter. The story introduces new characters and delves deeper into the persona of many existing characters. This novel clearly reads as a second book in a series. It is not advisable to read this book without reading the first. The reader will also wait with anticipation for the next book in the series.  Goodreads Book Information

Review: Beautiful Disaster

 

By - Jamie McGuire

Published - August 14, 2012

Abby Abernathy has walked away from her past. She has moved out of state to Eastern University and the only thing she brought with her is her best friend. She doesn’t drink, she doesn’t swear, she doesn’t party and her wardrobe is very modest. Abby believes she has left her dark past behind in Wichita. 

Then her best friend, America, invites her to an underground fight where her new life is challenged after meeting Travis “Mad Dog” Maddox. He is covered in tattoos, fights for money and is known throughout campus for his one night stands. Travis is attracted to Abby after she continually brushes him off and refuses his advances. This friendship is tested to its limit when they make a friendly wager. If he loses the bet, he will stay abstinent for an entire month. If he wins, Abby will live in his apartment for a month. No matter how this bet turns out, both people will have major challenges ahead.

Beautiful Disaster has everything a reader could want: action, romance, mystery and deception. The characters are believable, yet the reader may find himself questioning the actions of Abby and Travis. Will Abby be able to resist the lifestyle that Travis is living in order to remain a “good girl?” Will her dark past come back out and take over her current life? Goodreads Book Information

Review: The Kill Order (Maze Runner Prequel)

 

By - James Dashner

Published - August 14, 2012

Many of us know how the story ends, but do you want to know how the story began? Mark is a survivor. When the sun flares hit Earth and killed people and modern society, he stayed alive with his friend Trina and they met Alec (a retired soldier who knew what it took to survive). A year has passed since the sun flares and Mark is living with others in a settlement high in the Appalachian Mountains. Unexpectedly a berg appears and people in green suits start shooting darts at residents in the settlement. Alec and Mark board and crash the berg discovering that someone was intentionally infecting people with a virus. After returning to the settlement they discover that all but one person hit with a dart has died and the one survivor has gone crazy.

The survivors decide they are not going to be victims and they leave looking for a compound they believe is responsible for this attack. Along the way the reader learns more about the days following the sun flares and intentional release of the virus “The Flare.” Although the reader can truly enjoy this book without reading the first three books (this is a prequel), the remain books will not be as enjoyable because many things are revealed in this book that are surprises in the others. I recommend reading this book AFTER finishing the first three: The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure. Goodreads Book Information

Review: Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1)

 

By - Sarah J. Maas

Published - August 7, 2012

Celaena Sardothien has survived the last year in a prison where the life expectancy is one month. As the most notorious assassin of her day, she has been beaten and abused, yet she still lives. Then Crown Prince Dorian pulls her out of Endovier and offers her freedom. In order to be granted this freedom, she must train for a competition to determine who will become the king's champion. Should she survive the training and testing to become the king's champion she must perform these duties for four years for her permanent freedom.

Celaena builds her strength as she builds relationships with those around her. Unexpected friendships and possible romances bloom with the Crown Prince and the Captain of the Guard. The other contestants are all men. Thieves, assassins and soldiers from throughout the empire are sponsored by nobles for this honor. As if the contest is not challenging enough, contestants are being found murdered and organs taken from them. Now Celaena must discover who is killing the contestants while also training and trying to stay alive herself. Through twists and turns the reader is taken through training, court intrigue and budding relationships. Action scenes are descriptive and will keep the reader wanting to know next twist in the plot. The book is a strong first book and will have the reader wanting to know what will happen in the next book (should it be written).  Goodreads Book Information