Review: Displacement

Displacement by Kiku Hughes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kiku is on a trip to San Francisco with her mother to visit the neighborhood her grandmother grew up in.  When they finally find the area, they discover that the houses had been torn down and a mall was put up in its place.  Kiku’s mom takes the opportunity to visit the mall and Kiku waits outside.  What she doesn’t expect is to be “displaced” back in time to when her grandmother was a child.  That displacement didn’t last long, but a second and third displacement soon follows.  During these trips back in time, Kiku discovers that her knowledge about what happened to people of Japanese descent in America during World War II is very incomplete. 

Displacement is a graphic novel that is partly based on Kiku’s family during World War II and other times.  Hughes knows that we can’t know everything that was happening during these turbulent times, so she created a storyline that allows for gaps in the narrator’s knowledge also.  I read this graphic novel in two sessions, so even the most reluctant reader can enjoy the story and the history that is included.  I feel this book would even be enjoyed by those who normally don’t read graphic novels, but enjoy unique historical tales.

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Review: The Space Between Worlds

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Humans are finally able to travel to parallel worlds, but only if their own self on that world is already dead. Cara is in luck. Her parallel selves are good at dying and have died on 372 of the other worlds. After Cara was identified as a strong candidate to travel the multiverse, she moves into Wiley City as a resident. Cara knows that if she can keep working and doesn’t get into trouble, she can eventually become a citizen and not just a resident. It is hard to stay out of trouble when one of Cara’s last eight doppelgangers dies and she is sent to this new world with many secrets. What truths will Cara learn about her past?

The Space Between Worlds is a science fiction stand-alone story that is different yet relatable at the same time. Johnson’s debut includes cross-dimensional travel and self-discovery in a fast-paced adventure that was fun the entire time. Cara has to deal with growing up poor, yet living a life a lot different than the rest of her family. She learns that she has a role to play in her own world that could affect the entire multiverse. I recommend The Space Between Worlds for all sci-fi fans, especially those looking for a one and done novel.


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Review: Calla

Calla by Christina Bauer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Calla and Dare are being sent on a mission.  The Blue Fairy doesn’t think it is a big deal, but if they aren’t successful, they will be dead in a week.  That is a big deal on everyone’s level!  Blue also thinks that since Calla and Dare are friends that it won’t be awkward, but this is awkward to the extreme since Calla has a huge crush on Dare.  It doesn’t help that they would like to ask Calla’s dad for permission to court and if they do any inappropriate touching without that approval, then the answer will be an absolute NO!  Will Calla and Dare be successful in their quest?  What will Calla’s dad say when asked if they can court?

Calla is the second book in the Pixieland Diaries series.  This book picks up quickly after the last book and it is still written in diary format.  Since diaries are meant to be casual in their presentation, this book reads very quickly and without a lot of drudging details.  I feel this book is meant to be an escape read and is not intended to be looked at as high literature.  Calla was fun to read and could easily be read in one sitting or over a weekend.  I can’t wait for the next book, Dare, to get released.

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Review: Evolution

Evolution by Teri Terry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Shay is still with Xander in an isolated Scottish location, but her ultimate goal is to find Callie.  Callie went missing before the epidemic and now that 95% of infected people have died, there are fewer survivors in the world.  But these survivors seem to have powers that can be good or evil, and those who were never infected have more to fear than just the virus.  Will Shay discover why this epidemic started?  Will Shay be able to find Callie?

Evolution is the third and final book in the Dark Matter trilogy.  Even though it had been some time since I finished the second book, I quickly remembered the key events to fully immerse myself in this story.  There is an adventure and some double-dealings as Shay sets out to discover the truth.  Readers will have most if not all of their questions answered as the chapters come to an end.  Evolution was a good conclusion and should be read by everyone who finished the first two books.

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Review: The Morning Flower

The Morning Flower by Amanda Hocking
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ulla is still working her internship at the Mimirin, but now she wants to know more than just who her birth parents are.  When Eliana is kidnapped, Ulla not only feels obligated to find her, she also wants to know who Eliana really is.  During her travels she learns the possible identity of her father, but the truth about her mother just keeps getting murkier.  Ulla’s research leads her to the First City with the hope of answering many of her questions.  What will Ulla learn about herself and her family during her quests?  What new questions will be piled on top of the endless questions she has already uncovered?

The Morning Flower is the second book in The Omte Origins series.  This story picks up rather quickly after the ending of the first book and Hocking did a wonderful job of leaving breadcrumbs to nudge the reader’s memory.  This is a fantasy novel with a lot of backstory that was built into the other companion series, yet this series can be fully enjoyed without reading the other ones.  There are family secrets, racial secrets and a little bit of romance to mix things up.  The Morning Flower is a must read for all fans of Hocking’s other novels.

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Review: The Girl in the White Van

The Girl in the White Van by April Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Savannah is not looking forward to returning home after kung fu class.  She fought with her mother’s boyfriend and she knows she will need to grovel to get in his good graces.  Her thoughts quickly change gears when she is attacked outside of her kung fu class and is kidnapped by a man driving a white van.  When she finally wakes up from her head injury, she finds that she is not alone.  Jenny was kidnapped 10 months earlier and has been tasked with getting Savannah trained properly.  But this captor does not know what he has grabbed.  Savannah may only be an orange belt, but she has the heart of Bruce Lee and plans to get both of them out alive … if she can.

The Girl in the White Van is a stand-alone young adult mystery that reads short, yet not so sweet.  Henry has crafted a story that gets quickly into the turmoil and brings readers into the mystery without wasting a lot of pages.  Although I felt like the story could have used more details, the fact that it was barely over 200 pages means that readers can easily sit down and read it in one sitting.  Once again, Henry has written a young adult thriller that will be easily consumed by boys and girls alike.

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Review: The Connelly Boys

The Connelly Boys by Lily Velez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Scarlet lost her mother to cancer a few months earlier and now she has moved to Ireland to live with the father she barely knows.  She seems pulled to the four Connelly brothers, especially the oldest, Jack.  There are rumors about the Connelly family; that they are descended from a witch who was burned and that Jack has his own curse.  When Scarlet somehow banishes a demon that was attacking Jack, she begins to discover that she may have some magical powers of her own.  After her father is attacked … Scarlet and the Connelly boys must team up and try to save him.  What magical truths will Scarlet uncover through these trials?  Will she be able to learn enough to save her father?

The Connelly Boys is the first book in the Celtic Witches series.  This first book kept making me remember parts of The Raven Cycle, yet it wasn’t the same.  Readers will learn about some folklore and traditions while uncovering truths about the characters.  There is the fantasy aspect throughout, yet readers will also feel the adventure that fills in the rest of the story.  Velez has crafted characters that are multifaceted and easy to root for.  Not all of the answers have been given in this first book and readers will want to find the second book, The Connelly Curse, soon after finishing this novel.

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Review: Burn Our Bodies Down

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Margot feels very alone.  Her entire life has been with her mother … and no other family to speak of.  Even her mother makes her feel alone, with a constant power struggle for even simple things.  After Margot finds a picture leading her to a place called Phalene, she takes off without permission hoping to find out something about where she comes from.  But there was a reason Margot’s mother left her home.  What truths will Margot find out about her family tree?  Why do other people know more about her past than she does?

Burn Our Bodies Down is a stand-alone novel that requires the readers to suspend their disbelief just a little bit.  Power has created a story with many layers that readers will enjoy unraveling.  I know that I thought I knew where the story was going and was pleasantly surprised when I was wrong.  This would probably be considered 95% realistic fiction with about 5% supernatural.  If that is not your thing, this is your warning.  Burn Our Bodies Down has a good, firm ending and readers will close the book feeling like they know what needed to be known.

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Review: Kaps

Kaps by Christina Bauer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kaps’ family thinks that she travels in a rock and roll band while collecting magical relics.  Well … she does do that, but it is just a cover for what she is passionate about … fighting the Audax.  And what is the Audax … why they are shape-shifting vampire Nazis.  Others collect supernatural artifacts too and during one of Kaps forays to the human realm, she gets noticed and a price is put on her head.  The human bounty hunter knows about shifters and he is well trained to go after his quarry.  Will Kaps be able to get away from the people who wish to harm her? 

Kaps is the fifth book in the Angelbound Offspring series.  This series is also a spinoff of another series and readers who have been following these characters will love the cameo appearances of many Angelbound staples.  Although this is not a one and done type of book, readers who begin with this book will have an easy time following the plot, yet they may feel the need to go back to the beginning.  Of course, there is a lot of action and just as much romantic tension spread across these pages.  It is a fun, short read and would be a good escape at the beach, pool, or while someone else is driving.

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