EKO by Loren Walker

Goodreads Summary


Shortlisted for the 2016 Half the World Global Literari Award. 
2016 Shelf Unbound Best Indie "Notable 100" Pick
Select Pick by the Library Journal's Self-e Module. 

Midnight in Osha: an injured woman is left at the gates of a commune. Eighteen-year-old Sydel, an apprentice hungry to prove her worth, is certain that healing the blue-haired stranger will finally win the respect of her community. But tensions spike when two men appear in search of their sister: Phaira, the woman in the clinic. And when Sydel’s experimental medical treatments prove successful, instead of offering accolades, her elders make the sudden decision to banish her. 

Guilt-ridden, Phaira and her brothers, Renzo and Cohen, offer shelter to the bewildered girl, and take Sydel with them into the violent, industrial North. Then the reason behind the expulsion comes to light: Sydel is an Eko, a being that can read minds and accelerate healing. And when word of her talents goes public, Sydel becomes a valuable prize to possess, with the siblings as her only means of defense.


My Thoughts

First, let me just say that Eko is an extremely fascinating book.  It follows the story of a girl named Sydel.  She basically has a unique ability, called Eko, that allows her to hear people's thoughts and even send her thoughts to them.  Sydel isn't the only person with this special ability.

When I first started reading this book I had a little bit of a difficult time getting into it.  You're kind of thrown right in with no backstory so it is hard to keep up with what is happening.  It was about a third of the way through the book that everything finally clicked and it all made sense.  Don't get me wrong, it was all still very interesting even when I didn't fully understand exactly what was happening haha!  But when it clicked...Aha!  It went from good to great!

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes the YA Dystopian/sci-fi genre.  It's a good one!

*Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Zola Flash and The Forgotten by T. Marie Alexander

Goodreads Summaries


Zola Flash

EVEN THE INNOCENT CAN BE MARRED BY WAR.

Zola is a Victian. And for as long as she’s been alive, her planet has been at war with the ruthless, demeaning Payohlini.

After witnessing the gruesome murder of her family, Zola Flash decides it is time to escape with the one person she was taught to hate before she meets the same fate. Earth seems to be the perfect place to hide out – to pretend her whole life didn’t come crashing down.

While on Earth, fitting in and making new friends are Zola’s main goal. It’s what she wants. A family to call her owns. But then, Zola uncovers family lies and the true reason behind this never ending war. 

Now it's up to Zola and the enemy, who is swiftly stealing her heart, to save her people and gain retribution for her family. But when revenge and protecting her people mean relinquishing her freedom, she's left with a difficult choice.


The Forgotten

ZOLA HAS LOST SO MUCH.
Her family
Her home.
Her sense of self.

BUT SHE HAS ALSO GAINED.
Friends.
Another home.
And Pin, the Payohlini she loves above all else.

With Renz gone and no one to command the Payohlini army, Zola assumed everything would go back to normal. Well, as normal as life could be for someone like her. The war should be over and her planet and people should be safe. Having accomplished what she set out to do—getting revenge for her family’s murder, she even dares to dream of days spent as a normal girl, of dates with Pin without them looking over their shoulders for flying swords. No more hiding, but living the kind of life she always thought she’d have.
With new responsibilities come new problems, though—as well as a Flash from her past that she didn’t see coming. 
One that threatens to change everything.
Zola thought she had nothing else to lose. Unfortunately, she’s about to get a galactic awakening.
No one ever said being a princess would be easy.


My Thoughts

In the beginning I had a little trouble following Zola Flash.  The author's writing style took me a little while to follow.  However, once I was able to get used to the writing style, I started to enjoy the book more.  There were several twists and turns in the plot and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters.  I'm honestly not a huge fan of books that end with a cliffhanger but this one was well written.  All in all, Zola Flash turned out to be a pretty good read.

I do think that I enjoyed The Forgotten more than I enjoyed Zola Flash.  More than likely, it is because I was already familiar with the author's writing style and the characters.  Speaking of the characters, Zola certainly hasn't had an easy life!  She just wants to finally have a calm, normal life but that doesn't seem to be in the cards.  The Forgotten is a great continuing story of Zola's life and adventures.  Well done, T. Marie Alexander!  Thanks for the books!

*Note:  I received copies of these books from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Shaky Man by Mark S. Parker

Goodreads Summary

Stay away from Shaky Man. Every kid in the small town of Tonkaway, Texas, knows that.

He eats little kids, murdered his wife, and mistreats his dogs, to boot. That’s what they say, anyway. Top doesn’t entirely know what to think about the rumors. He’s too busy settling into his new home, playing baseball and making friends—like Mickey, a black boy who soon becomes his best friend of all.

Everything changes when a shocking murder turns the town, along with Top and Mickey’s lives, upside down. Neighbors show their true colors. Shaky Man’s secrets are revealed. Through it all, Top learns again and again just how confusing and unfair the world can be. A tale of childhood set in the 1960s, Shaky Man timelessly reaffirms the basic goodness of humanity and the importance of friendship and compassion in the face of prejudice.


My Thoughts

Here's a bit of honesty for you, I didn't have any expectations of liking this book very much.  Not that I thought I would 'dislike' necessarily, but I didn't think that it would stick in my mind.  I had no reason to feel this way.  The blurb actually sounds really interesting!  I don't know if it was the cover that made me think that I wouldn't love it, the fact that it's a middle grade book, or just me being weird.  Anyways, I said that to say this... I was wrong.

Shaky Man is a very interesting read, much more so than I initially expected!  It is definitely a middle grade book so it's not exactly "my kind of book" anymore but it is certainly one that I will be recommending to middle grade students.  This book teaches important life lessons while keeping a fun, lighthearted element with the baseball storyline.  Very enjoyable, great read!

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Hello Everyone!!!

Hey everyone!  Sorry I have been slacking a bit lately with the reviews!  The weeks before Christmas break are really crazy and busy weeks so I wasn't able to get much reading in.  I'm hoping to get through several books in the next few weeks!

With that being said, I have been getting an unreal amount of requests lately!  And, while I am a pretty fast reader, there is no way I can get through all of the books and still have a job and a personal life! Lol!  I absolutely love reading and the last thing I want is for it to become a dreaded chore instead of a wonderful hobby.  Life is way too short to read a ton of books that I'm not enjoying.  So, I will give every book that I receive a fair chance, but if I am really not enjoying it at all I will put it aside.  I don't want to waste time reading a book that I will end up having to write a negative review about.  I have way too many books that people have sent to me to spend too much time on one that I am not enjoying.

I want to thank each and every author and publisher who have taken the time to send me a book!  I am so blessed to have the opportunity!  I appreciate every one of them, especially the physical copies because I recognize the cost of sending them to me.  I try to get to those first, if possible.

Thank you to all of my blog readers!  I really am such a blessed person!  I'll try to get back to reviewing more books soon!

Thank you!!!

1123 Hard To Believe Facts by Nayden Kostov

Goodreads Summary

A compilation of the most interesting and verified facts, suitable for a broad audience. This is the result of years of sifting through history and reference books on a myriad of subjects as well as searching the Internet and paying attention to the news. 

Most trivia books are insufferably boring. This book promises to be different, packed with interesting, educational and fun ingredients; it seeks to entertain as well as challenge. It will provide you with never-ending intellectual ammunition for a lifetime of dinner parties. You will amaze your friends and family by recounting to them that the greatest Chinese pirate of all times was a woman, or that herrings use flatulence to communicate! 

The book will be your strongest ally in combatting social awkwardness and will arm you with plenty of icebreaking pieces of trivia, suitable for any occasion.


My Thoughts

My son and I love random facts.  We are always sharing crazy, weird, or just simply random facts with each other.  So, when I was contacted about reviewing this book, of course I said yes!

I read it during a nine hour trip out of town for Thanksgiving.  It was a great way to pass some of the time and I loved reading some of the facts to my son every few minutes.  Some of the facts I actually had heard before!  However, most of them were new to both of us.

If you enjoy random facts, this would be a great book for you.  I certainly enjoyed it!

*Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Plum Pudding Bride by Anne Garboczi Evans

Goodreads Summary

Patience Callahan is twenty-five and fast becoming an old maid. But she s spent most of her life dreaming over romantic European literature and wants a dashing d Artagnan, not a bookish Bob Cratchit. Alas, the Colorado town of Gilman is chock-full of Cratchit s without a d Artagnan in sight. Peter Foote, the general store owner, has been in love with Patience for seven years. But every time he's on the verge of proposing, she cuts him off; he can only imagine on purpose. This time though, dadburn it, he s going to go through with it. Ring in hand, he s moments from touching knee to floor, when Patience pulls out a list of mail-order bride advertisements and declares her intention to marry a backwoods stranger, on Christmas Day. Peter has two weeks to change her mind."


My Thoughts

Every year, just after Thanksgiving, I get in the mood to read christmas books.  I love them!  Reading Christmas books is something I look forward to every year.  When I read the email with the request to read this book I was quick to accept!

Plum Pudding Bride is a novella and it is perfect for reading during this busy time of year.  It is festive and fun to read and it is the perfect length when you've been busy with Christmas preparations all day and you want to relax and unwind with a good book in the evening.  I certainly enjoyed it!

Patience annoyed me quite a bit and I felt bad for Peter at times.  The poor guy only had eyes for her!  She seemed to have that "the grass is greener on the other side" kind of attitude and she wanted to go have a life of adventure.  She soon realizes that what you think you want isn't always what you really want or need.

This was quite an enjoyable book!  Thank you, Anne Garboczi Evans for sending it to me!

*Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Citizen Survivor Tales by Richard Denham

Goodreads Summary

Maryanne Coleman was a popular journalist who worked for The Ministry during the 1940s. While under the guise of a reporter for The Southern Herald, her role was to interview a variety of survivors of ‘The Great Tribulation’ which had plunged Britain into chaos. She travelled throughout Britain speaking to a wide assortment of characters and those who had come to the attention of The Ministry and to collate information, both overtly and covertly, on the current state of the nation. Although her interviews were later recovered, Maryanne herself went missing. Her fate is currently unknown. It must be conjectured that one of the interviewees was involved in her disappearance. Here then, is a collection of ten of Maryanne’s most interesting, amusing, bizarre, frightful and compelling interviews.


My Thoughts

Well, this was certainly unlike anything I have ever read before.  I don't think I've ever read anything even similar at all.  The interview style was certainly interesting and I looked it more than I thought I would.  Some of the "interviews" were good, some strange, and some were downright odd!

Citizen Survivor Tales is a fiction book but it has a non-fiction feel to it.  It's an enjoyable read.  Well done!  Thank you for sending it!

*Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.