The Haunting of Sunshine Girl (The Haunting of Sunshine Girl #1)

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have had this book on my TBR list for a while, so when I saw it at our local library book sale recently, I picked it up. I found it to be a light, easy, quick read. But I have read better suspense/thriller books, better spooky/creepy books, and better YA books. If you are looking for a scary, tense, intriguing book with a gripping story that will make you afraid to turn off the lights, I'd look elsewhere. If you want an entertaining book with a supernatural element that you can finish quickly, then this is the book for you.
Sunshine is a 16-year-old who has just moved with her mother from Austin to a dreary, rainy city in the Pacific Northwest. As soon as they arrive Sunshine finds herself in a "creepy" house with a damp smell and bad lighting. She finds herself to be cold all the time, she has no friends, and after several strange occurrences in her room, she realizes her house is haunted. Sunshine's mother becomes increasingly distant, and Sunshine must figure out what is going on and what she can do about it.
The author attempts to create an atmosphere of pervasive gloom, tension, and eeriness. But to me, it just came across as an incredibly unpleasant, if not miserable environment for Sunshine. She is always cold, almost everything around her is either wet or damp, her mom is rarely home, and the one friend she does have makes Sunshine nauseated when she gets too close to him. Sunshine seems to take it all in stride, though. (I would not have handled it so well were I in her place!) I had to suspend a lot of belief as far as the mood of the book was concerned. The deeper Sunshine got into the bizarre things happening around her, the less I felt a sense of menace. The book should have felt more sinister, but it did not. I was, however, invested in the story and I did find myself wanting to know what would happen next.
I did enjoy the book, and will read the next in the series.


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A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1)

This book was RIGHT UP MY ALLEY with it's hints of Celtic Mythology and Folklore.  I have been trying to read it for a couple years, but was too cheap to pay full price for a copy on Amazon.  They have never had it at my library book sale, but, after moving and getting my new library card, it was one of the 1st books I checked out!!  I really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to the rest of the books in the series.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I would give this book a rating of 4.5 stars. It wasn't mind-blowing, but it was really good and I enjoyed reading it. I have been trying to find a copy at our local library book sale for several years, and once I got a library card in our new town, it was the first book I checked out. I am glad I did.
Feyre is a girl who finds herself responsible for her family after they fall on very hard times. While hunting in the forest she encounters a strange wolf whom she suspects may be a faerie beast. She hesitates for a moment, but knows that faeries have been enemies of mortals for hundreds of years, and have been preying on her people. She shoots and kills the animal, and takes his fur. Not long after, a monstrous beast invades Feyre's home and demands reparations. He says although he is justified in taking her life, he will instead take her to his home where she must spend the rest of her life.
Feyre finds herself in the Spring Court of the Faerie and encounters numerous masked member of the Spring Court, along with strange, fantastical, and often dangerous creatures. As she attempts to adjust to her new life in her new home and develops a relationship with the beast who brought her there, Tamlin, she finds herself drawn to her captor. She must find her place in the Spring Court as well as attempt to understand the ominous undercurrents of the Faerie Realm.
I found myself drawn into this world that the author created. While the story had obvious similarities to Beauty and the Beast, as well as hints of Celtic mythology, it was also original. Feyre was a strong heroine and her journey through the story was believable--her decisions and motivations made sense. The descriptions of the Faeries, other creatures, and the environment really added to the story and really created a rich book.
I would definitely recommend this book to any fan of Fantasy, YA, Romance, Folklore, etc. I have already checked out the next book in the series and am excited to see what is next for Feyre, Tamlin, and the other characters in the book.


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The Girl Who Knew Too Much (Burning Cove #1)

The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wavered between 3 stars and 4 stars on this one. I liked it, but I did not love it. I enjoyed reading it, but it was not without its problems. Having read many books by Amanda Quick, I was interested in reading it (I even requested an ARC and did not get one), and I am glad I did.
Set in the 1930s, the reader is presented with a dead body, right off the bat. Our heroine must go on the run to hide from the killer, and ends up in Hollywood. When she finds what seems like a safe new life, she is confronted with another murder. Our heroine must solve the mystery while dodging its culprit along with the help of the owner of the ritzy hotel where the murder took place. When the press publishes a picture of her, the killer from the first murder is soon hunting her down.
Now, does that sound a bit confusing? It wasn't really, but the story was full of so many mysterious deaths, suspicious people, and nefarious criminals, that everything did get a bit convoluted. The end of the story, where ALL of the mysteries are tied up neatly, could have used some tightening up and adjustments with pacing.
Overall, however, it was a quick entertaining read. I will probably read the next in the series. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries, romance, 1930s Hollywood, and quick and light reads.


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The Devils Thief (The Last Magician #2)

Y'all, I tried with this book...I really did.  But I just got to the point where I did not care.  I was very disappointed.

The Devil's Thief by Lisa   Maxwell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I absolutely love-love-loved the first book in this series, and so I was so very excited to start The Devil’s Thief. I enjoyed the story with elements of history, romance, and magic. I felt like I was watching a television series with the way the story encompassed so many characters and events. It was such a good book and I could not wait to see how Esta & Harte’s story continued.
This new book was a bit disappointing for me, though. It seemed like the best thing about the first book, the growing relationship between Esta & Harte, was pushed to the back-burner to give even more time to secondary and new characters. While it was nice to see characters from the first book fleshed out, switching around among people, locations, and time, really took me out of the flow of the story. Instead of a sweeping narrative, it felt disjointed, stilted, and slow. I began to not care about the “secondary” characters or their parts of the story, and I got frustrated with the pacing of Esta & Harte’s journey. It took me a very long time to get through the story.
If a larger, more detailed story with even more characters and events sound great to you, then I would recommend this book. If your favorite part of the first book was Esta & Harte and their developing relationship, then you might want to be prepared before starting Book #2.


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The Phantom Tree

I really enjoyed this book!!

The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very enjoyable book. The premise was intriguing--a time travel, missing persons, murder. I have read several romance novels by this author, so I was very interested to try this one out.
The beginning immediately drew the reader in: a woman in an obviously modern-day town happens to see a centuries-old portrait reportedly of Anne Boleyn. But the woman, named Alison, knows that this portrait is actually of a key person from her own past: Mary Seymour, daughter of Katherine Parr. As the book unfolds, the reader discovers that Alison and Mary became roommates at Wolf Hall in 1557. Mary is sensitive to otherworldly occurrences, and Alison becomes an inadvertent time-traveler. Alison has been trying to find a way to connect with Mary again for years, and believes that Mary has left her clues to unlock a mystery that will be the key to Alison's future.
The author creates a wonderful tone in the book that is tense, ever-so-slightly ominous, and a bit magical. I wanted to keep reading because the narrative switched back and forth between present Alison, past Alison, and past Mary. Once I finished the book I had to go back and re-read certain passages that were clues as to what happened later in the book.
There were a few places where I wished the author had elaborated a bit more on key events and things were glossed over that deserved a bit more attention.
Overall, however, I found this to be a great book, and once I finished it I was disappointed that I had to leave the world and feelings that the author had created. I would absolutely recommend this book.


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Brightly Burning

Well, I'm back after a massive break! School has started, and even though I am still busy with unpacking and getting settled in a new house, I am so far behind on my reviews.  I think it will be good to get back in a "routine." Even though it's a NEW routine!
This was a good book.  Not a great book, and certainly not an awesome book, but it was good.  The author did a great job with world building and creating her setting.
Now, I have never read Jane Eyre.  I have seen the 1996 movie.  And I read Jane Steele a couple of years ago.  Since this book was another take on Jane Eyre, maybe I should read it.  But due to the fact that I know how the story goes, I most likely will not...

Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Okay, I am not sure how to review this book. It was described to me as a sic-fi take on Jane Eyre, and I received an ARC from the publisher. Although sic-fi is not my favorite genre, I did think the premise sounded interesting. Stella is an orphan who was sent to live on a farming ship years ago. She does not live in the best conditions, and applies for jobs off of her ship in an attempt to escape and find a better life. The only job she is offered is the governess to a young girl on an isolated ship that no one knows much about. Once on the ship, she meets the small crew and finds a place to fit in. Eventually the mysterious captain of the ship returns, and she finds herself drawn to him. As she gets closer to him, she begins to feel even more uncertain about her place on board the ship and the nature of his character.
The setting of this book, a small ship that is orbiting the moon, helps to create a feeling of isolation that contributes to the tone of the book. The bleakness of space is a big part of the story. I enjoyed the character of Stella. She was easy to identify with, and I found her relatable. The secondary characters were a bit flat, but not to the extent that it took away from the story.
The pacing of the book moved along very well, until about 1/3 to 1/4 of the way through. It was easy to tell that the story was moving towards a big event/reveal, but when it happened, it was rather anti-climactic. I found myself just thinking, "Really? That was it? Oh..." After that the plot dragged for several chapters. Then, all of a sudden, the story picked up in a very dramatic way, but the previous chapters had not helped to create a sense of tension or suspense, so the big action seemed kind of superfluous or inorganic. Huge exciting things were happening one after another--bang, bang, bang--but I did not feel invested in what was going on because the pacing was just all off.
All in all, I enjoyed the book until the very end. The lack of action, and then abundance of action in the last part of the book took me out of the story a bit. Nonetheless, it was still a good read.


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Song of Blood and Stone (Earthsinger Chronicles #1)

Finally finished this book last night.  I was a bit disappointed.  The last 1/2 to 1/3 was not as good as the first.

Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After a chapter or two to really get into it, I began to enjoy this book. Jasminda was an interesting character who had to survive much hardship. When Jack almost fell into her lap, the book really picked up steam, and I enjoyed the journey the two of them had to go on, from war captives to magical caves, etc. Then, however, they made it back to "civilization" and Jack's military comrades. And at that point the book became just not as good, in my opinion. A lot of the "magic" was lost once they got to the big city, and the romance between Jack and Jasminda overwhelmed the story. To go back to my earlier analogy, the book lost steam at that point. I wasn't sure where the author was going and it seemed like some depth to the characters and story was missing. When the book reached the climax, the author's descriptions seemed almost matter-of-fact and therefore everything was a bit anti-climactic. While overall this was a good book, that was almost the problem with it--it was just "good" when it could have been great.


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