BOOK REVIEW--ANGEL STAR BY JENNIFER MURGIA (The Great Review Catch-Up)

Angel Star--Jennifer Murgia
Finished reading on July 27, 2010

My thoughts:

I'm going to break my review down into what I liked and what I disliked because I had such mixed feelings about this book.

What I disliked--As soon as I started reading and was introduced to Teagan and Garreth, the Twilight bells started going off.  Teagan is down on herself, thinks herself inadequate (sound like someone you know?).  Garreth is this perfect guy (of course, he is an angel) that Teagan just cannot believe would have any interest in her (again, sound familiar?).  Then, throw into the mix the "bad"angel, Hadrian, and you have yourself one heck of a love triangle, because Teagan is inexplicably drawn to Hadrian.  The similarities abound! I mean, at least Jacob is a nice person...yeah, he's a werewolf...but he's still good.  Hadrian is a baddy through and through...so why would Teagan be attracted to him?  Oh, yeah...the old "bad boy" attraction I guess.  Also, I guess the concept of good cannot exist without evil so maybe Teagan has an evil streak in her.  I don't know, I'm done speculating!

What I liked--I really liked Jennifer's concept of heaven.  In the book, Garreth tells Teagan that Heaven is inside your mind.  That heaven isn't technically a place, but a place inside of a person.  A place that a person tries to reach by constantly changing and striving for good in their life.  This quote kind of summed it up for me (it's very good):

Your judgement is your own, and when you can look inward and see that you are changed and like what you see, then it is by your own hand that you are judged.

This statement pretty much redeemed the book for me.  I can see that this book would appeal to young adults because these are the kind of books they like and are reading like crazy.  The good thing about this book is that it has a message for young people to keep striving to change and "live your best life." (oh, dear...I'm quoting Oprah now!

Book description from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Teagan McNeel falls for captivating Garreth Adams and soon discovers that her crush has an eight-point star etched into the palm of his right hand-the mark of an angel.

But where there is light, dark follows, and she and Garreth suddenly find themselves vulnerable to a dark angel's malicious plan that could threaten not only her life, but the lives of everyone she knows, and now, she is torn between one angel's sacrifice and another angel's vicious ambition.

Divinely woven together, Angel Star takes readers on a reflective journey when one angel's sacrifice collides with another angel's vicious ambition in a way that is sure to have readers searching for their own willpower.

This book was read in conjunction with a tour for Other Shelf Tours.

Qualifies for the following reading challenges:

100+ Reading Challenge
New Authors Challenge
Pages Read Challenge
Horns and Halos Reading Challenge 2010
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge



FTC Disclosure:  I received this book in conjunction with a blog tour.  The book was sent on to the next tour recipient.  I did not receive any monetary compensation for reading and reviewing this book.

Book review--The Mark by Jen Nadol

Blog Tour Stop

The Mark--Jen Nadol

Book description from Goodreads:

Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark—a glow around certain people reminiscent of candlelight. But the one time she mentioned it, it was dismissed as a trick of the light. Until the day she watches a man awash in the mark die. After searching her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person’s imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.

Armed with a vague understanding of the light, Cassie begins to explore her “gift,” seeking those marked for death and probing the line between decision and destiny. Though she’s careful to hide her secret—even from her new philosophy-obsessed boyfriend—with each impending death comes the temptation to test fate. But so many questions remain. How does the mark work? Why is she the only one who sees it? And finally, the most important of all: If you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them?

My thoughts:

Cassie knows when someone is about to die. She sees an aura around the person very soon before their time comes. As any person would, she is having a very hard time coming to terms with her “gift”...or is it a curse? She's not sure which. Cassie struggles with the implications of her ability. Should she warn the person and try to save them, even though it will make her look like a crazy person? Or is “The Mark” that person's fate? Her boyfriend believes that she is morally obligated to tell, but he's not standing in Cassie's shoes. What would a person do if they found themselves in possession of this kind of ability? When Cassie finds out the truth about the legacy of “The Mark”, it opens an entirely new set of questions about her origins and how the ability is more than just a fluke.

I really enjoyed this book. It started out a little slow, but it picked up momentum pretty quickly. It's not a very long book and it is a fast-paced read up until the end.

Qualifies for the following challenges (be sure to check out my progress here on my challenge blog--when I reach 30 followers, I'm giving away a $10 gift certificate to Better World Books):

Pages Read Challenge
ARC Challenge
Countdown Challenge 2010
100+ Reading Challenge
New Authors Challenge


FTC disclosure:  This book was received to read for a blog tour and then forwarded on to the next participant.  I did not receive any monetary compensation for reading and reviewing this book.

Book review--Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap

Blog Tour

Description from Goodreads:

“Will I never see you again either?” I asked, feeling as though I was about to jump off a high mountain peak and hope to land without hurting myself. That’s how impossible everything seemed at that moment, no matter what I did. “Perhaps we will meet again,” Sasha said, softening his voice. “But you must see that it does not matter. You have so much ahead of you. It’s your choice now. Choose the future! Choose life!”

For Anastasia Romanov, life as the privileged daughter of Russia’s last tsar is about to be torn apart by the bloodshed of revolution. Ousted from the imperial palace when the Bolsheviks seize control of the government, Anastasia and her family are exiled to Siberia. But even while the rebels debate the family’s future with agonizing slowness and the threat to their lives grows more menacing, romance quietly blooms between Anastasia and Sasha, a sympathetic young guard she has known since childhood. But will the strength of their love be enough to save Anastasia from a violent death?

Inspired by the mysteries that have long surrounded the last days of the Romanov family, Susanne Dunlap’s new novel is a haunting vision of the life—and love story—of Russia’s last princess.

My thoughts:

The Romanov family of Russia have always held a certain fascination for me.  I can remember reading about the tragic fate of the royal family when I was a teen and I subsequently looked for any book I could find on the subject.  Then there was a television movie about Anastasia surviving (which starred Amy Irving) and the attempt to prove her identity and I was thoroughly hooked on the notion that she did indeed survive and was living somewhere as a happy old woman.  I think most of us who know what happened to the Romanovs and have heard the legends surrounding Anastasia have always hoped that she did survive.  It's human nature to hope for triumph out of tragedy.

So when I saw this book come up for review on Other Shelf Tours, I signed up immediately.  And I was not disappointed.  The book relates the events leading up to the downfall of the Tsar and the fate of the Romanov family told entirely from Anastasia's point of view.  And a forbidden love enters the mix, which adds to the intrigue as Anastasia struggles to keep it secret from her family.  As time goes by, it becomes increasingly important to keep their relationship secret because Sasha wants to use his unique position as a soldier to save Anastasia.  Ultimately, Anastasia must decide between her family or the love of her life.  I will not tell you her decision.  That you will have to read for yourself!

I really enjoyed this book because it took an intriguing historical event and put a very personal, human face on it.  You feel sympathy for the royal family, yet it is also evident why the royal family's extravagance was misconstrued by the common people.  Yes, they did live lavishly, which is typical of a royal family, but they were a close knit family who spent much time together as a family in activities very much the same as any ordinary family.  Also, it was obvious that the Tsar did care about his subjects.  I found Ms. Dunlap's work to be very historically accurate.  Although it is obvious that this book is written for an young adult audience, it was a fast read and it kept my interest until the end.  I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA books, especially those who like the historical genre. 

The awful fate of the Romanovs

One of the greatest mysteries for most of the twentieth century was the fate of the Romanov family, the last Russian monarchy. Following the abdication of Tsar NicholasII, he and his wife, Alexandra, and their five children were eventually exiled to the city of Yekaterinburg. The family, along with four loyal members of their staff, was held captive by members of the Ural Soviet. According to historical reports, in the early morning hours of July 17, 1918 the entire family along with four loyal members of their staff was executed by a firing squad. After a failed attempt to dispose of the remains in an abandoned mine shaft, the bodies were transported to an open field only a few kilometers from the mine shaft. Nine members of the group were buried in one mass grave while two of the children were buried in a separate grave. With the official discovery of the larger mass grave in 1991, and subsequent DNA testing to confirm the identities of the Tsar, the Tsarina, and three of their daughters - doubt persisted that these remains were in fact those of the Romanov family. In the summer of 2007, a group of amateur archeologists discovered a collection of remains from the second grave approximately 70 meters from the larger grave. We report forensic DNA testing on the remains discovered in 2007 using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), autosomal STR, and Y- STR testing. Combined with additional DNA testing of material from the 1991 grave, we have virtually irrefutable evidence that the two individuals recovered from the 2007 grave are the two missing children of the Romanov family: the Tsarevich Alexei and one of his sisters. (source: Science Blogs)

Romanov Royal Family

(Anastasia is the youngest girl in the center with her brother, Alexei)

This book was read for the following challenges:

I will list the challenges soon.

FTC Disclosure:  I received this book in conjunction with a blog tour.  Book was mailed on to next tour participant.  I was not monetarily compensated for reading or reviewing this book.

Book review--Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

About the book:

After her sister Athena's tragic death, it's obvious that grief-stricken Persephone "Phe" Archer no longer belongs in Los Angeles. Hoping to make sense of her sister's sudden demise and the cryptic dreams following it, Phe abandons her bubbly LA life to attend an uptight East Coast preparatory school in Shadow Hills, MA -- a school which her sister mysteriously mentioned in her last diary entry before she died.

Once there, Phe quickly realizes that something is deeply amiss in her new town. Not only does Shadow Hills' history boast an unexplained epidemic that decimated hundreds of its citizens in the 1700s, but its modern townies also seem eerily psychic, with the bizarre ability to bend metal. Even Zach -- the gorgeous stranger Phe meets and immediately begins to lust after -- seems as if he is hiding something serious. Phe is determined to get to the bottom of it. The longer she stays there, the more she suspects that her sister's untimely death and her own destiny are intricately linked to those who reside in Shadow Hills.  (from Amazon)

My thoughts:

I was very interested in reading this book as soon as I read the synopsis.  And let me tell you...it does not disappoint! Almost immediately the author draws you into the mystery.  The main character, Persephone (Phe), doesn't do any pussy-footing around.  She arrives at her new school and goes straight into amateur Sherlock Holmes mode.  The town has a mysterious history dating back to the 18th century which makes it even more intriguing for a history buff like me.  And there is no lack of great-looking guys either.  The main male lead, Zach, sounds like he could be an Adonis.  The chemistry between him and Phe is very present, but there are no tawdry love scenes (this is a YA novel, after all).  However, some of the romantic scenes are a bit corny.  Maybe I've just forgotten what it's like to be a teenager. 

I will admit to a mild disappointment at the end.  It was a bit anti-climactic.  I guess it was such a great book that I was hoping for a bigger bang at the end.  Overall though, I really enjoyed this book.  It kept my interest, it was fast-paced and even a little creepy in parts.  So...I recommend it!

Read for blog tour with



Read for the following challenges:

Pages Read Challenge
New Authors Challenge
Countdown Challenge 2010
100+ Reading Challenge
Monthly Mixer Mele
ARC Reading Challenge 2010


I received this review copy for a blog tour.  I did not receive any monetary compensation and the book was mailed on to the next reviewer.

Blog Tour Stop & Book Review--The Aelf Club: Unity by Stuart Brooke Richardson

About the book:

Sara DeVere is special – but until her thirteenth birthday she had no earthly idea why. As she enters the eighth grade, Sara begins a mind-bending journey into the unknown – a journey that will eventually lead her to her destiny with a group of extraordinary friends, and with two unique teachers who come to share a deep secret with Sara. As the storyline progresses, our heroine is faced with some of the greatest tests one could possibly endure – not the least of which includes falling victim to the evil of a rapidly growing global threat. But in the company of good friends her will is strengthened, along with her growing knowledge of ancient Secrets – and the wisdom to use such knowledge in the fight for justice. “Unity” – the first volume in “The Aelf Club” series – contains many facets, combined in such a way as to create a tantalizing ‘rabbit hole’ for the hungry reader; it is at once a coming of age story, a historical saga, an immense spiritual journey, a manual of higher learning, and an epic adventure full of international intrigue and nail-biting suspense! For those diehard fans of Harry Potter and other such mystical adventures, “Unity” is sure to please – offering an alluring combination of elements that will entice the imagination and stimulate the mind. This is a tale of immense proportions…

My review:

This book held such promise in the beginning.  The concept is very unique and interesting, but it was hard to get past the things that were wrong with the book for me to really enjoy it. 

Number 1--I could not help but focus on the overuse of the word gazed, "gazed into each others eyes" or "she gazed around the room" or just plain "gazed" was used on almost every single page of this book.  The book is 310 pages so that's almost 310 times that this word was used!

Number 2--Too much detailed description of the processes of going into the "Moongate" and about the "Unity-Point."  It almost made me feel like I was reading a science book.  Yes, there was adventure in this book, but it was too heavily weighed down with these technical descriptions to enjoy it.

Number 3--The explanation for all the extraordinary persons in history such as Leonardo Da Vinci or Plato is that they were all Aelfs.  So in this book, no ordinary human beings are extraordinary.  If you're gifted, then you're an Aelf.  If not, you're just a lowly human.  While I realize that this is just a fantasy, I still had a hard time swallowing the concept.

I really hate when I do not like a book and I hate it even more to write a negative review.  But after starting this book over two weeks ago (310 pages people!) and just now finishing it, I have to chalk it up to the fact that I was just not that into this book.  If I were to recommend this to anyone, I would say it might appeal to a very young adult or older child because it does have adventurous potential.  This is the first book in a series and I hope that future books will be better.

This book was read in participation of a blog tour for Other Shelf Tours.



FTC Disclaimer:  I received this book to read and review for a blog tour and will not be retaining the copy.  I did not receive any monetary or other compensation.