Review: Borrow My Heart

Borrow My Heart by Kasie West
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wren has a list of rules that guide her life.  It has worked for her so far, but when two boys enter the coffee shop and she hears one giving the other a hard time about being catfished, she decides to be the mysterious online girl.  Asher seems to be a nice guy and she begins to date him … or is it fake dating?  As Asher breaks more of the rules she has set for herself, Wren begins to question why she has the rules in the first place.

Borrow My Heart is a light teen romance that touches on modern dating pitfalls without being dark and heavy.  It is amazing how West was able to create a love interest that I loved, hated, and then loved again.  I almost felt like I was living Wren’s romance.  I’m sure some might think this was ho-hum, but I needed a refreshing escape and this was a perfect fit.  It is listed as the first in a series, so I am excited to see where the story goes next.

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Review: Rabble Starkey

Rabble Starkey by Lois Lowry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rabble is twelve years old and has endured a lot in her short life.  Her mom left her to live with her grandmother until her grandmother died.  Now she lives with her mother and although it isn’t an easy life, she has a great friend to brighten her days.  Rabble wants a stable life and starts to get that, but then her mom’s boss has a mental breakdown and leaves for the hospital, Rabble and her mom move into the big house to help out more.  As time passes, Rabble begins to feel a part of a family she never had … but will this last?  What will happen when the woman of the house returns?

Rabble Starkey is a stand-alone realistic fiction story that is written for young readers and will leave them thinking hard about some serious issues.  The original story was written in 1987, yet the story could easily be taking place in the present day.  Lowry has created a small cast of characters with their own strengths and flaws and most readers will be able to relate to one if not many characters.  The ending is kind of anticlimactic, but sometimes that is what life is like.  Readers will have mixed feelings about the ending, though.  

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Review: Earth Called: Tales of a New World

Earth Called: Tales of a New World by P.C. Cast
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Mari’s new Pack and the Wind Riders do not feel ready to face Thaddeus and the God of Death.  They know that if they don’t stop them, then everything will be lost.  When Ralina, Death’s Storyteller, is called by the Goddess of Life … the Pack now has a fighting chance.  What changes are inevitable?  Who can be trusted?

 Earth Called is the fourth and final book in the Tales of a New World series.  This fantasy adventure starts off kind of slow as the new Pack is formed, but as the chapters flow past, the story does pick up its pace.  Cast did a good job weaving together new and old tales into a fresh story, but these four books were probably one book too long.  I’m glad I finished the series, but I’m also happy it is over.

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Review: Perilous Times

Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sir Kay has been reborn into our present and is looking for his next quest.  What does he find?  A world torn apart politically and an earth that is getting too warm.  If that wasn’t enough, a dragon has gotten loose and is wreaking its own kind of havoc.  Mariam has focused her life to fight against those doing wrong to the planet.  When these two join forces … well, the system has something to fear.  Other knights have been reborn, Excalibur is still hidden, and King Arthur is asleep.  What changes are in the works for our planet? 

Perilous Times is a stand-alone fantasy adventure that fans of Arthurian legends will devour.  This is a longer read, but since it is a one-and-done, that makes the adventure that much more appealing.  Readers will get to visit with Merlin, the Lady of the Lake, Lancelot, and others.  The question is:  What would happen in our present world if the Knights of the Round Table returned?  Read this book to find out. 

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Review: The Iron Vow

The Iron Vow by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Meghan and her friends are at it again in a new realm where their glamour is slowly leaving them and Nightmares are real.  As they become less powerful and the residents of Evenfall go against them, they wonder if they will find the Nightmare King in time.  What truths will they discover?  What risks will they need to take?

The Iron Vow is the third book in the Evenfall trilogy and the tenth book in the Iron Fey series.  Kagawa starts this book with a very descriptive prologue that gives readers a quick fly-by of the first set of books and I found it unnecessary.  Then, throughout the story, there are flashbacks to events that were already portrayed in other books.  I don’t think these reviews were needed.  If a reader wants to jump into book ten, then they should expect to be confused.  Otherwise, it was a good finale with a chance to revisit some beloved characters.

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Review: Four Found Dead

Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jo has just finished her final shift.  After closing down, the Tempest Theaters and the attached mall are scheduled to be demolished.  When the power goes out and their manager disappears they are stuck without any keys and their phones are still in the theater safe.  Then they find a co-worker dead.  Now they must escape into the shuttered mall and try and find an unrestricted exit.  Who will make it out?

Four Found Dead is a thriller where you know how many are going to die and you are trying to figure out who is next.  It isn’t hard to believe that the situation would happen and readers will wonder how they would react to each of the events.  Richards did a wonderful job inserting information about each character as it was needed instead of trying to develop them early on.  A fast-paced read that will leave readers breathless at the end.

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Review: In an Orchard Grown from Ash

In an Orchard Grown from Ash by Rory Power
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Rhea and Lexos have lost their father and their kingdom.  They now find themselves on opposite sides of the rising rebellion and are in search of people they can trust.  Can these twins push past their pain and reunite their kingdom?  Are they beyond saving?  In an Orchard Grown from Ash is the second book in the Argyrosi duology.  I love fantasies and I love stories based on ancient myths, but I did not love this book.  I found my mind wandering and forced myself to back up and start chapters again.  Even when I got to the end, I wondered why I finished.  The first book was good but this one fell flat.

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