The Iron King - Julie Kagawa - 4 stars

I decided to read this book for a read along with a friend. I had been contemplating reading it for quite some time. I am glad that I finally got around to reading it. I had hear a lot of mixed reviews on this book, but I am glad I decided for myself. It was such a quick. fluid read and was very engaging.

In this story we have Meghan who is a normal teenage girl struggling with issues such as home life, school, bullying and dealing with her missing father. She then discovers that she is the daughter of a Faery King in a mythical land and she is the middle of a war between two faery kingdoms.

I thought the imagery was pretty decent in this book, and I liked the worlds that readers get to be a part of. It was all good enough for me to be able to imagine myself there. It had an Alice in Wonderland feel to it. And it played out just like a fairy tale. This story had a lot to it, there was some creepiness, mystery, fantasy and to a point some science fiction as well. I did have a hard time trying to figure out if this was YA, Adult or middle grade. It seemed like it was all 3 sometimes.

I really liked the wide array of characters. I see that some readers say they did not like Meghan. In the beginning she was not completely likeable and was a little whiny, but overall I thought she was ok and she did grow throughout the story and I feel like she became stronger as the story went. I liked Robbie but I hated that they called him Puck instead, that was a bit off and annoying for me.

I do feel like this story was more plot driven than character driven. But the story did have a pretty good plot and it was definitely not anything like I thought it was going to be. I could not have guessed anything that happened in this story. I recommend this to anyone who likes fairy tales because it certainly is both a magical and fun read.

Fix by Force - Jason Warne - 5 stars

First off, I received this book in exchange for an honest review. It has been a very long time since I have read such a poignant, intense and thought provoking story. It was an emotional roller coaster of a read, very powerful and engaging. I am glad I decided to pick it up and become lost in the pages.

In this story our main character Spenser who is 17, is fighting a lot of demons. This is his story and how he strives to overcomes those demons that haunt him everyday. Things like death, bullying, and steroids. A story that makes you realize, as you read, that so many teens and young adults are battling much the same demons as Spenser. And not everyone will reach out for help.

I have never felt such harsh emotions from a book. From every page turn I felt like my emotions were pushed to their limits. Love, hate, fear, and rage to name a few. Such beautiful writing, and beautifully created characters. Such a realistic read with realistic characters that many readers can connect to in one way or another. It all felt so true and real but whether this book is a work of fiction or non-fiction doesn't matter because we all know that so many people in this world today are afflicted as Spenser is.

I recommend this book to everyone because I feel like it needs to be read and it needs to be shared with others.

The Iron King Read Along - August 11

Come Join us on the Iron King week long read along starting August 11.
Discussion thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1953316-read-along---iron-king-starting-aug-11

Brittni's Read along Vlog:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3KG7pkpFR0

BookWorm's Buddy Read Along Vlog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwKHyXkAtec

Storm Siren - Mary Weber - 4.5 stars

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. All I can say is WOW! The cover was what caught my attention first. It is beautiful. I was a little concerned that I would not enjoy this book since it is fantasy. I have not done well with this genre in the past, but I thought I would take a shot with this one and I have to say, I am glad I did.

The premise of this story is about a war between Faelen and Bron and 2 young adults, Nym and Collin, have to try and stop it. Nym and Collin are slaves with very special powers, only they need to better control what they have and they go through training to head this war against Bron. There are many obstacles and struggles that they must overcome.

I have to say I really liked the premise of this book. It was very intriguing to me. And when I began turning the pages and started reading it, the world slowly began to unfold before me and I was instantly in love with the writing. The world is created with such imagery that I felt I was there among the citizen of Faelen. I would love to see more back story before the wars started so maybe in the future we will see that. I did not struggle with wordiness or slow parts in this book and that is always a plus.

I thought that the characters were so very well created. I felt so connected to them as if I knew them in the flesh. Even though this is a fantasy novel the characters still felt very realistic to me. My favorite characters were probably Nym and Collin. I think they worked so well together. There are a few great antagonists as well. The author did very well making me love to hate them.

I can actually recommend this to anyone! It is such an easy, fluid read that I think everyone can enjoy it. A lot of great plot twists and adventure and then we can't forget to mention that phenomenal cliff hanger at the end. I look forward to whatever comes next with this trilogy, I just hope I can wait. This gets 4.5 stars from me.

Chosen to Die - Lisa Jackson - 5 stars

After I read the first book to this series, Left to Die I knew going into this next book that it would be great. I have to first say that Lisa Jackson is one of my favorite authors. I feel like she has a gift for great imagery and also great characters. Her writing has a way of connecting with her readers and holding them there.

In this installment we have Regan Pescoli fighting for her own survival against the maniac known as the 'Star Crossed killer'. The rest of the force are desperate to stop the madman from taking more innocent victims while at the same time, searching for Pescoli.

This book was jammed packed with so much action and excitement. Mystery upon mystery to solve. I found myself second guessing everything just trying to figure things out. The imagery, once again, was phenomenal. I love the way our author demands her readers to immerse themselves deep into the plot of this story becoming the victims, because everything is so realistic it is hard to not imagine yourself in their place. What I love the most about this author, is her style of writing, it just feels so real. The stories are always so engaging from the beginning to the end.

In Chosen to Diereaders get to rejoin all the best characters from the first book. Among them are my favorites, Regan Pescoli and Nate Santana. I just love the realism of these characters, actually all of the characters. It was easy for me to connect with them. They were flawed, gritty, and relentless in their quests. I also like the bits of backstory that goes along with them. The authors allows us inside of their heads and experience what makes them all tick, antagonists and protagonists alike.

I really can't recommend this book enough. If you love mystery and have not yet experienced Lisa Jackson's writing, then I urge you to start with this series, you wont be sorry.

I hunt Killers - Barry Lyga - 4 stars

I had received this book for review from Net Galley. This is a first time read for me with this Author and I have to say I really enjoyed this book quite a lot. It is so very different from your normal 'serial killer' tales and I loved that.

In this book we have Jasper (Jazz) Dent who is the son of a pretty infamous serial killer. Jazz has been a witness to so many brutal crimes and he fights daily with his own thoughts on how he himself will turn out. Will he become a killer like his father? So he tried to figure himself out as he tries to helps out the police with the knowledge he gathered from his father's teachings.

The plot of this story I think was very well constructed. Set in a relatively small town which is always a great place for a mystery. It was nothing like I have ever read before, which made the story quite refreshing. It had great imagery built into it with a lot of great elements as well. I also think the story was very engaging, fluid and easy to read. Before I knew it I was finished.

I loved the characters in this book, they are so well developed. I really liked Jazz, Connie, and Howie a lot. I found I could connect with them rather easily. I also love how the Author lets us inside the heads of the serial killers. To see how they operate and to know what they are thinking and why they do what they do. I think it would be awesome to get some backstory to the life of Jazz before his father was put away behind bars, I find that aspect of the story to be quite intriguing.

I look forward to whatever other books come after this one since there was a rather large cliff hanger in this tale. I know that I enjoyed the writing style of this author very much. I can recommend this book to anyone who loves a great mystery with some pretty maniacal serial killers.

Poisoned Waters - Ermisenda Alvarez - 3.5 stars

I received this in e-book form from the author in return for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. I had recently come across someone comparing this to the voyage of the Titanic with elements of the game Clue. And it really is exactly like that. It has an old Agatha Christie feel to the story. However it is not your normal mystery at all, it is quite different, so that was somewhat refreshing. A couple things were a bit predictable but also there were some surprising elements as well.

I liked the writing style of this author and her ability to make me feel like I was there. She had the imagery down perfect for the setting of 1955 from the description of the clothing worn to the way the characters spoke. All very authentic and real. And to top things off, a big beautiful ship that housed criminals galore. A first there seemed to be a lot going on, so in the very beginning it got a little confusing trying to keep all the characters straight. Once they were all introduced it got much easier to follow.

There was a lot of mystery to this tale and I really liked that. I like to be able to sleuth myself and try to figure things out, and I feel like this book really offers that. We also meet some great characters with lots of flaws both antagonist and protagonists alike. I loved the little tidbits of backstory that went with each of the characters too. It allows the readers to become a little more familiar with the characters and understand why they were the way they were.

I would definitely read more from this Author and I look forward to that opportunity. I can recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries with that old timey feel to it. I am giving this book a 3.5 rating.