Review: Decelerate Blue

Decelerate Blue by Adam Rapp
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In an undisclosed future time, everything revolves around speed and efficiency. Angela doesn’t feel the need for speed and soon finds out that she isn’t the only one. During a visit to a park to look for an item buried by her grandfather, she finds herself literally underground and in the middle of a resistance movement. In this new place, the world has slowed down and people are encouraged to read and relax. Is Angela ready to go against the Guarantee?

Decelerate Blue is a stand-alone graphic novel that has a promising premise, but no actual substance. Just when the reader adjusts to the brief language of the new world, Angela is underground and must attempt to speak in a normal manner. The graphics are a saving grace and the story that is portrayed within the drawings is deep and emotional. Decelerate Blue will be enjoyed by die-hard graphic novel fans, but should not be someone’s first attempt at this genre.


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Review: Lifeblood

Lifeblood by Gena Showalter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ten’s Firstlife has ended and she has chosen which realm to spend her Everlife in, but there is a war taking place and Ten has a role to play. She has a rare power that the Powers That Be want to use; unfortunately, the enemy wants her stopped. She is still trying to learn about her Secondlife, while also fighting for her own survival. Will Ten be able to fight Killian and overcome her personal feelings toward him? Which is more important, Love or Winning?

Lifeblood is the second book in the Everlife series. Showalter does spend some time having the main character think about events from the first book so readers will be reminded and memories will be jogged. New events start quickly and readers will swiftly be immersed in Ten’s Secondlife. My feelings about this novel were erratic at best. I would find myself completely absorbed in the story and then a little while later wonder why I was reading it at all. Lifeblood was a good second book in a series, but I really hope the next installment re-grabs my interest.


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Review: The Silent Songbird

The Silent Songbird by Melanie Dickerson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Evangeline is an orphan and the ward of the King of England. She has always known that noble women do not marry for love and that she will be expected to wed whomever the king chooses. Unfortunately, King Richard II promises Evangeline to Lord Shiveley, an advisor that is twice her age and who also had a first wife die in mysterious circumstances. Evangeline decides she would rather be a peasant than Lord Shiveley’s wife and runs away with her maidservant. She is now at a small country estate and is pretending to be mute to hide her identity. Will Evangeline be able to stay hidden while also living her life? Is love a possibility for a woman of noble birth?

The Silent Songbird is the seventh book in the Hagenheim series, yet as someone who hasn’t read any of the other books in the series; this novel seems to stand well on its own. Dickerson doesn’t need to spend a lot of time world building because the story takes place in 14th century England, which would be familiar to most readers of historical fiction. The romance is constantly pulling at the edges of the first half of the book and the end result is predictable, yet enjoyable. The Silent Songbird is a good escape, but not a drop everything and read book.


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Review: Heart of the Storm

Heart of the Storm by Michael Buckley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lyric Walker was held prisoner under water for over half a year before she was able to escape to the surface. Now that she is on dry land, she wants to find her friends and family and get the word out about the Great Abyss. Her time away wasn’t that long, yet when she returns she discovers that humans and Alpha are actually working together to get the country restarted. It isn’t all sunlight and roses, though, because there are still people out there who want to sabotage the work being forged. Can Lyric overcome the human obstacles before the monsters from the sea arrive? Which love will Lyric choose to pursue?

Heart of the Storm is the third and final book in the Undertow trilogy. The action is intense from the beginning and readers will be excited for the many story lines brought to an end. Yet I found the flashbacks to Lyric’s underwater time a little confusing at first. I will admit that it could be because I flew through it faster than I should have. The ending is perfect, yet not everyone will be happy. That is not unusual when a girl has to pick a boy … someone is always left out. Heart of the Storm is a good escape, but only for those who read the first two books.


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Review: Long Way Home

Long Way Home by Katie McGarry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Violet was raised around the motorcycle club the Reign of Terror, yet because her father died conducting Terror business, she feels she must protect her younger brother. This means she must sever all ties to the club, including her ties with Chevy, the boy she loves. Her plan comes to a standstill when another motorcycle club approaches her with old secrets and threatens the people she loves. Does Violet really know what has been going on inside the club? Who can she trust when there are many lives at stake?

Long Way Home is the third book in the Thunder Road series. The story is told in the alternating voices of Violet and Chevy, so readers will be given a balanced viewpoint of most events. McGarry doesn’t spend much time reminding readers about earlier events, yet even though there was time between these two books, I was able to pick the story up and dive right in. This third book is not the end of the story and most readers will see the hints of future storylines weaved within. Long Way Home is a nice escape read for those who like an easy and clean bad boy romance.



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Review: Beautiful Broken Girls

Beautiful Broken Girls by Kim Savage
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Mira and Francesca had lived very protected lives. They still rode bikes because they could not ride in a car with most people. Ben, though, had touched Mira; he had touched her on seven parts of her body. The girls are dead, drowned in the quarry, and Ben has received a letter from Mira to go to each place where he had touched her and retrieve a note she has left. As he finds each note, Ben uncovers a little more about what was happening in Mira and Francesca’s life. Was it suicide or was it an accident? What other secrets about his small town will Ben discover?

Beautiful Broken Girls is a stand-alone story that is borderline with many genres. Savage has interspersed the girl’s story with Ben’s by spiraling timelines and narrators. There is a mystery to be solved, a myriad of relationships to uncover and a series of letters to be found. Readers who enjoyed unraveling the truth with Thirteen Reasons Why may see a similarity between the stories, yet the differences allow this to be its own unique read. Beautiful Broken Girls is a good escape for those needing a break from series fiction.


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Review: The Queen

The Queen by C.J. Abedi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Caroline is continuing to come to terms with the fact that she is the Queen of the Light Fae and that her relationship with Devilyn is wrong on many levels. They both feel the pull to be together, but neither wishes to put their own feelings above the safety of their people. When the Dark King and Puck create a new plan that defies long established rules, Caroline must learn from her hidden past and cultivate the Fae powers that have been dormant within her. Will Caroline and Devilyn be able to resist the pull between them? Does she have the fortitude to take her place as the Queen of the Light?

The Queen is the third and final book in the Fae Trilogy. Even though this is the third book, readers who have not read the first two volumes can still enjoy this installment as long as they are familiar with basic Fae lore and of course Puck. The story is told by alternating characters and each transition gives the reader a little more knowledge that the other characters are not aware of. This was an enjoyable read and I think I am going to find the first two books so that I can experience more about these fascinating characters.


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