Review on 'Roots Entwine'

15 year old Joaquin is a Phoshat, a boy with a powerful gift which allows him to heighten his senses past that of a normal human. Joaquin's gift allows him to hear a person's movements from miles away, he can see much further than anyone else, and can smell what someone had for their dinner just from the scent left on their clothes. However, Joaquin's gift comes at a price, as the longer he uses it, the weaker he gets, causing him severe headaches and requiring him to sleep for long periods of time. After a stranger named Kallum arrives in Joaquin's village, his quiet life is turned upside down. Joaquin agrees to go on a mission with Kallum and his friends set by the King to track down Scarvus, a man who has been terrorising the country and is rumoured to be in hiding. With Joaquin's help, it should be easy to track down Scarvus, but will Joaquin's gift become more of a hindrance than a help?

This YA fantasy novel was an interesting read. I loved the protagonist, a teenage boy named Joaquin who has been shunned his whole life for being and looking different to the rest of his family. He is a strong character who stands up for what he believes in, and is a loyal friend. Joaquin often puts the safety of his companions before his own, and is sometimes wreckless, but he is also brave and kind. I loved watching the relationship between Joaquin and Hesir progress, as Hesir dislikes him at first, and I loved finding out the reason why Hesir was wary of Phoshats.

I felt that the book started out quite slow, and it did not really start to pull me in until Joaquin and his friends had entered Shenandya. The company travelling and stopping at inns did not grab my attention, as not a lot else was progressing apart from the relationship between Joaquin and his companions. However once they had entered Shenandya I was gripped by the story and couldn't wait to find out what would happen when they tracked down Scarvus. I loved the names of the characters, as they were so unusual and helped to give the story a mystical feeling.

I felt that the book lacked female characters, as Maylaya was the only one that stood out to me. Although I loved Maylaya's tomboyish attitude and refusal to be left behind by her father and the scouts, I also found her to be quite annoying at times, as she seemed to be quite spoilt and childish. Although she is the same age as Joaquin, I fel that Joaquin seemed to be a lot more grown up than Maylaya, and overall a much more likable character. I felt the romance between Joaquin and Maylaya seemed to be quite forced and unnecessary, and I would have preferred it if they had remained friends instead of turning it into a romantic relationship a couple of chapters before the book ended.

Overall I loved the book and this fantasy world, and would recommend it to fans of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, or anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre in general.

You can purchase Roots Entwine HERE

Review on 'Two Boys Kissing'

When Harry and Craig decide to attempt the world record for the longest kiss, they don't realize that they will become the focus point for other teen boys around the world going through the same things as them. While they kiss, events start to unfold for other gay teens, including Peter and Neil, who have been together for a year, and Ryan and Avery who have only just met. Meanwhile Cooper is addicted to gay hookup sites, but feels empty inside. Although they all have separate lives, they all share the struggle of being gay in a homophobic world.

I thought this book was amazing and really captured the thoughts and feelings of the characters. I loved that so many issues were dealt with, such as relationship problems, coming out, homophobia, depression and gender identity. The gay characters are all very different as individuals, but as a group they share the same problems.

I think gay teenage boys would be able to identify with this novel, as sadly many of them have homophobic parents, and choose to stay in the closet for as long as possible to avoid confrontation. We live in a world where the older generation tend to cling to what they see as social norms. Being gay used to be a crime which could be punishable by imprisonment, and some people still see it as “abnormal” or “not natural.” It's not uncommon for parents to estrange themselves from their gay child, which is shown brilliantly in Craig and Cooper's cases.

I loved Avery, as it is even rarer to come across a transsexual character in YA fiction than it is to come across a gay character. Ryan's acceptance of Avery for who he is was adorable , and I loved how a big deal wasn't made out of it. I thought Avery was a strong character for standing up for himself, and empathised with him for not feeling 100% confident about his body, as I feel as if every teenager, no matter their gender or sexuality has felt like this at some point.

Cooper's storyline was important, as teenagers feeling unsafe in their homes is a huge issue. A lot of teenagers feel like Cooper does, but do not get the help they need, which results in hundreds of teen suicides every year. The book gives a strong message that teenagers shouldn't be like Cooper, and should get the help that they need.

I thought the narration was slightly strange, and it put me off the book slightly to start with, but got into the flow of things as it went on. The issue of gay men in the past not getting the help they needed having contracting AIDS is important, but I found it slightly strange that they were narrating from the afterlife, and gave a supernatural sense to an otherwise contemporary novel.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It is aimed at an audience of gay teenage boys, but as I am neither of those things and still enjoyed it, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA contemporary novels.

Review on Twisted Fate #1 Fate's Exchange

Alyssa Frank's fate was not to die, so when a brutal attack by a group of teenagers causes her untimely death, she is given a second chance at life. Alyssa must do things differently this time, and escape the clutches of death. But having been given no clues as to what she is meant to do, Alyssa must face D-Day alone. That is until a mysterious and gorgeous new student named David joins the school, and quickly forms a strong relationship with Alyssa. As D-Day approaches, Alyssa must tread her path carefully and finally escape the clutches of Death.

The first thing I thought when I started reading this book was that it reminded me of my favourite Supernatural episode, 'Mystery Spot'. I loved the idea of Alyssa having to come back to the same spot each time she died so that she could do things differently, and I felt that it was a bit like

I really enjoyed the first half of the book, and each time that Alyssa died in a different way, I was looking forward to finding out what she had to do to get out of the loop and stay alive until the weekend. I did however find myself wondering what would have happened if she had stayed at home instead of going to school, and found it slightly strange that she didn't really consider this option.

There are some strong themes in the book, particularly centred around rape. Although there is not an actual rape scene, I felt that it could still be triggering for some people, and thought it was worth a mention in case anyone finds it too upsetting to read about. I did however find that the topic was covered brilliantly, and showed how such an awful act can be life changing for rape victims.

I loved the introduction of David, and how he was hiding his true identity from Alyssa. His conflicted emotions of loyalty and love played out brilliantly. I did however find that the plot centered around the romance too much, and by the middle of the novel, Alyssa's relationship with David seemed to be more important to her than the fact that she could die at the end of the week, so I felt that she needed to sort out her priorities. I did enjoy the romance between them, and loved the idea of a supernatural being dating a human girl, but I felt that it would have been more enjoyable for me personally if it had been more of a sub plot, as I was far more interested in the storyline of Alyssa dying, and found it quite tedious to read through chapter after chapter of making out and going on dates before the story got back on track.

I liked the ending, and the hint that David would once again have to protect Alyssa. I also loved how one of the Sisters was keeping a secret about Alyssa's fate, and I would love to carry on reading this series to find out what that is. 


You can purchase Fate's Exchange HERE

Interview with S.L Bynum

Hello to you all! Stopping by on the blog today is S.L Bynum, author of
Grim Crush. 

She has taken the time to answer a few questions about her debut novel.

Hello! Tell us a little bit about your novel 'Grim Crush'

Seventeen-year-old Xia is just like any teenager—she loves to break rules—only difference is, she’s a grim reaper (yes, with a scythe and all). And now she faces consequences when she does something forbidden: she falls in love with a human.

Grim Crush is your debut Novel. What made you want to become an author?

When I realized I loved to use my imagination by creating worlds and characters with their own personalities, I attempted to write my first novel at the age of thirteen (it was super short, and super horrible). And when I realized that some authors, like J. K. Rowling, could make millions, even a billion from writing books, I thought, “well, if they can do that, I should at least be able to make a decent living on my own writing books.” I used to think writing books could only be a part time thing or just a hobby for me, but now I saw it could be my career (although I’m not sure I’ll ever be rich).

 Why did you choose to write with a Young Adult audience in mind?

;I was a young adult when I started writing, so I wrote characters that were my age. Then I just stuck with it because I like that young adults are old enough to experience first love and a few life problems, yet young enough to have fun and go on adventures.

Where did you come up with the idea to write Grim Crush?

;From a Terry Pratchett novel featuring a grim reaper. I remember thinking, what if a grim reaper wasn’t the usual stereotype? What if it was female instead of male, and wore a dress instead of a black robe? And then I liked the idea of a female grim reaper falling in love with a human, because that was paranormal romance and that genre was getting popular at the time I wrote this.

Did you relate to any of your characters while writing the novel?

Yes, my main character, Xia. I got a late start in the romance department, I guess because I was busy writing books while in high school. So love and affection felt as strange and new to me as it does to Xia.

You started writing at quite a young age. Do you have any advice for young aspiring novelists?

If you want to do this for a living, you have to ignore the people who don’t think writing is a real job. As for writing advice, you’ll hear this a lot, and it helped make my writing loads better: show, don’t tell.

If you could choose to live in one fictional universe, where would it be?

The universe of the Harry Potter novels! I would love to perform magical spells with the flick of a wand.

What can readers expect to see from the second book in the series?

;Xia and Shilah’s relationship will be put to the test even more, especially with Xia’s new responsibilities that are put on her at the end of the first book.

I'd like to say a big thank you to S.L Bynum for stopping by!

Grim Crush is now available in both ebook and paperback formats from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Find out more at S.L Bynum's website at http://slbynum.wix.com/author

You can also follow her on twitter at https://twitter.com/WriterSLBynum

Review on 'Storykiller'

When 17 year old Tessa Battle moves to a new high school, her life changes forever. Stories are real, and live in another dimension. Tessa is The Last Scion, the only Mortal who is able to kill Stories. Although she tries to reject her destiny, Tessa is pulled into the world of Stories, and must face up to who she is. With the help of her new friends Micah and Brand, and stories such as Robin Hood and The Snow Queen, Tessa must find out the truth behind who in the story world is trying to kill her.

I loved the idea behind this story and thought it was interesting and original. Tessa is a brilliant protagonist, and shows that girls can fight just as well as boys. I loved the friendship between Micah and Brand, as it is rare to come across male and female characters who have such a strong platonic friendship. It was a change to see such a loving relationship without romantic feelings developing. I also enjoyed how some of the Stories were fighting their fiction, particularly in the case of Romeo. I have always been an avid fan of fairy tales, and seeing characters such as The Snow Queen and the big bad wolf acting differently to what we have come to learn about them was interesting. Fenris was an interesting character, as throughout the novel it is unclear where his loyalties lie. I adored Fenris, and I found myself hoping that he would turn out to be good despite his history.

I didn't particularly enjoy the romantic subplot, as I thought it was slightly too cheesy. I also thought Tessa and Robin chose strange times to kiss, as personally I would not be thinking about kissing a boy if supernatural creatures were trying to break into my house and kill me. I also dislike love triangles, so I did not enjoy Robin's conflict over wanting to go back to Marian but also wanting to stay with Tessa. I also found the relationship between Brand and The Snow Queen quite strange, as although I loved the platonic friendship between Micah and Brand, I found myself agreeing with Micah that it was slightly weird.

I thought the narrative was strange in places, as although it is written in third person, it seemed to take on a first person style in certain parts. I found the epilogue involving Tessa's mum interesting, and would love to find out more about her intentions. Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of adventure stories or fairy tales. 

Storykiller is now available to purchase in ebook and paperback formats HERE

Review on Shades of London #2 The Madness Underneath

After her encounter with the Ripper copycat, Rory has been living with her parents in Bristol, recovering from both mental and physical trauma. However, Rory misses her friends, both her classmates at Wexford and the Shades, a group of young people who like Rory, are able to see ghosts. The cover up story means that Rory can never tell her parents or her therapists what truly happened. Rory is desperate to get back to London, so when her therapist suggests she go back to school, she doesn't hesitate to leave. The Ripper may be gone, but there are now a new string of threats. A pub owner has seemingly been killed by his employee, and a woman was seen falling to her death from a window. Could these cases be coincidences, or is it the cause of something more supernatural? Rory and her friends must find out what really happened before it is too late.

I loved the first book in this series and was eager to get onto the second. Although the Ripper is gone, there is definitely no lack of excitement on the streets of London. I loved the new cases and was eager to find out how the Shades would solve them. I loved how Rory was leading a double life, trying to keep up with her school work and her relationship with Jerome, while also sneaking out with Stephen, Callum and Boo to investigate the cases. I loved how Rory's relationship with the shades progressed, especially her relationship with Stephen. Although I loved Jazza and Jerome in the first book, I found that they were starting to become less significant to the main plot, and was drawn a lot more to the Shades, particularly Stephen. I also loved that Rory was needed a lot more in this book, as with the terminus being destroyed, Rory is the only one who is able to force the ghosts to move on. I found the ending really shocking, as the first book was overall light hearted with only a few darker parts. I was not expecting the book to end this way at all, and it has been left on a major cliffhanger which makes me extremely excited to get my hands on the new book once it comes out. I will definitely be continuing to follow this series.