Review: What Light

What Light by Jay Asher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sierra has always lived in Oregon and spent from Thanksgiving to Christmas in California selling Christmas trees from her family’s tree farm. Her father discourages her dating “the help” by making any boy showing interest in her clean and/or stock the outhouses. This has worked the last few seasons, but when Caleb stops in to buy a tree early in the season, Sierra quickly falls for him and starts to reconsider her no romance in California rule. Are the rumors about Caleb true? Will Sierra and her family be able to overlook the suspicions surrounding him?

What Light is a stand-alone fiction tale that is easily started and quickly finished. Although this book would be considered a romance, the love story is only in the early stages of dating and is easily appropriate for readers of all ages. Asher has created a variety of characters readers can relate to; these friends of Sierra nudge and support her as it is needed. What Light is a great escape read that should be added to all romance reader’s TBR pile.


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Review: RoseBlood

RoseBlood by A.G. Howard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Rune Germain’s family is insisting that she leave her home and attend a special school for the arts, RoseBlood. The school is housed in an old opera building and its history says it had something to do with The Phantom of the Opera. Rune has a wonderful voice, but she also has extreme stage freight. When a violinist named Thorn secretly trains her in her dreams, she discovers a greater voice and hidden truths about herself. Will this budding romance be her completion or her destruction? How much of RoseBlood’s history is fact?

RoseBlood is a modern day retelling of Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera and readers can enjoy this story even if they have never read the book or seen the musical. The story quickly develops and readers are pulled into this unusual performance academy. There are a few places where the events drag on, but overall it is an enjoyable read. Howard has created a cast of characters that may have readers looking for the original tale.


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Review: Heartless

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Catherine has just discovered that the King of Hearts is planning to ask her to be his queen, but she has her heart set on opening a bakery and creating the most wondrous delicacies. Her mother will stop at nothing to put her only child on the throne, yet when the royal marriage proposal is about to happen, Catherine orchestrates a distraction and unwittingly begins a courtship with Jest, the new court fool. Can Catherine fulfill her dream of delighting Wonderland with pastries? Will she be able to give her heart to the man she chooses?

Heartless is a new tale that takes place in Wonderland, yet readers who love the original story will discover new truths and hidden depth of many well-known characters. Meyer built on a world that already has a great foundation and has weaved a new adventure for readers of all ages. Although Heartless is currently listed as a stand-alone novel, it is easy to see an opportunity for additional books in this newly revised world. Heartless does for Wonderland what Wicked did for Oz. Readers will have a deeper understanding of the Queen of Hearts and why she is so heartless.


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Review: Spindle

Spindle by E.K. Johnston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Many years have passed since the Storyteller Queen survived the demon inside her husband and saved the country she loved. Unfortunately, the prison she created with her stories is falling apart and a demon is manipulating the world around her. After a princess is born in one of the nearby kingdoms, the demon places a curse on the child that will either take the princess’s soul or completely cripple the people in her nation. A group of exiled spinners are pulled into an adventure where the best outcome is the princess’s freedom, but it could also cost them their lives.

Spindle is the second book in A Thousand Nights series. Since the distance of time between the first and second novel is so vast, this could be considered a companion story that does not need the first book completed. Readers will definitely see the correlation between Little Rose and Sleeping Beauty. This masterful retelling of the beloved tale will remind readers of childhood stories, but bring in a more complex adventure for the young adult reader. Spindle is a great book that will be enjoyed by readers of all ages.


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