YA book

Book Review: Under the Red Spotlight

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Under the Red Spotlight by Shawn King
Under the Red Spotlight 
by Shawn King

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Tamryn is a slave in a circus, along with her aerialist partners, Torin and Patrick. They are beaten and starved, forced to perform for the cheering crowds, until one day Tamryn’s situation becomes desperate and Torin risks everything to help her escape. Separated from the only family she knows, Tamryn struggles to find a balance between survival and following her true heart. Torin vows to find a way to escape and be reunited with Tamryn, but the circus owner is ruthless and cruel. Escape seems impossible. In the middle of it all, Patrick seeks for comfort in the arms of Jessica, Tamryn’s replacement in their aerial act. Four young people searching for freedom, and they will only find it through knowing Christ.

I loved this book!!! I don’t know if it was the writing, the characters, or the dramatic plot… but this story pulled me in. There is so much action and running around and drama! Usually I don’t even like circus stories, but this one definitely captured my attention.
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Book Review: Red Riding Hood

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Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
Red Riding Hood 
by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright (Goodreads Author), David Leslie Johnson, Catherine Hardwicke (Introduction by)
1 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Valerie’s sister is killed by the horrible Wolf. Valerie has to choose to marry the rich young blacksmith, or run away with her childhood friend, Peter, who is an outcast.
I’m DNFing this stupidity. Boring. Instalove of the worst kind. Mediocre writing. Rotten characters. Bleh.
I got to page 88, and had to quit. When they agree to run away together after having only exchanged about twenty words and one moonlit horseback ride, I’m done with this nonsense.

It also annoyed me that the girls run off in the middle of the night to the boys’ camp to flirt with them. What was the point of that whole scene?

Book Review: Cloudy-Bright

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Cloudy-Bright
Cloudy-Bright by John Rowe Townsend

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I reread this book every few years, and it usually starts with insomnia. I’m up in the middle of the night, and I think, I’ll read this old boring book about photography and that will put me to sleep.
But then I get caught up in the story, and I remember why I gave this clever little book 5 stars! Before I know it, I’m not the least bit sleepy, and I’ve read half the book!

Sam needs a camera to win the photography contest at his college, so he borrows Jenny’s camera, but doesn’t realize that Jenny comes along with it.  The two are thrown together in a few funny situations, and through many ups and downs they become unlikely friends with a little romance simmering between photographs. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Wizard’s Dilemma

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The Wizard's Dilemma
The Wizard’s Dilemma by Diane Duane

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yet another book in this series that broke my heart! Such beautiful writing!

Nita gets the terrible news that her mother is dying of cancer. In between hospital visits, Nita searches for a dangerous and elusive wizardry that will cure her mother, but the price may be more than she can pay. She and her wizarding work partner, Kit, have suffered a misunderstanding that keeps them apart. Determined to find a cure on her own, Nita falls prey to the evil Lone One, not realizing that Kit might have stumbled on the answer to all their problems, if only they can reconcile in time!

As in all the other books, I adore the camaraderie and complete trust between Kit and Nita. Their friendship is so special, and seeing it fall apart in this book was heartbreaking. But even through their argument, I loved seeing these characters grow and change, and their friendship ultimately grows and changes along with them. All friendships have some rocky spots, a few bumps in the road, and I was so happy to see how both these characters overcome the obstacles in their way, and it makes them better people, and makes their friendship stronger! Continue reading →

Book Review: Dead Endings

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Dead Endings
Dead Endings by Jessica Chavez

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Ever since Cailen had a near-death experience, she can see ghosts. They hang around, bothering her, and because her internal defenses are weak, they can sometimes possess her body.
Her roommate, Gabriella, is a spiritualist who has a better grasp on exorcising ghosts, and Cailen is happy to leave all the ghost-hunting to her friend and go on ignoring the spirits as much as possible.
Everett is a student reporter who is convinced that a recent series of murders needs some ghost experts to investigate, and he drags the reluctant Cailen into the mystery.

This is a total departure from the type of books I usually read. I don’t like horror or ghosts, but I thought I would pick this up because it looked more funny and sarcastic than scary. But then I was disappointed that there’s a lot of alcohol and profanity in this book. It was almost unreadable because of all the nasty words. Continue reading →