Charming Incantations: Enticed by Monique Snyman

*Giveaway Bonus*

The giveaway is closed. The winners of the Kindle copy of Charming Incantations are Denise Z, SusanD1408, and Tobi.

Enjoy the review!

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After a fire kills Elizabeth's parents, Elizabeth decides to journey through a dark tunnel within a cave to meet The Alliance, a group consisting of six representatives from each species - human, werewolf, vampire, witch, shapeshifter, and banshee. In spite of the fact that Elizabeth knows little to nothing about supernatural creatures, she's willing to become the Human Representative. Her assistance is very much needed. After all, the Alliance was started centuries ago to stop the goblins, a group of bloodthirsty creatures deadset on ruling and destroying the world. Unfortunately, the goblins are still going strong.

However, before Elizabeth can really learn about the goblins, she must first learn about what being a member of the Alliance entails. Of the six representatives, the vampire Milosh and the werewolf Romulus stand out, especially Romulus. The moment she shakes Romulus' hands and looks into his eyes, it's clear that there's chemistry between them. So it's only fitting that, as part of her new life as the Human Representative, she moves in with Romulus.

Charming Incantations is basically two plots in one. The romance plot is focused on Romulus and Elizabeth's romance; the action plot is focused on battling the Goblins. Their romance is very often the focal point. There are 3-4 battles, but I think this novel would appeal more to those who are into romance than action. I don't mean to spoil the ending, but even the conclusion is more focused on tying up romance issues than battle issues.

The novel's premise is really cool. I love the idea of creatures banding together to take out one deadly force. I love reading about intense battles. Instead of making a vampire and a human fall in love, which seems most popular with supernatural romances, author Monique Snyman paired the werewolf and the human. For those who love supernatural romances, this may be a refreshing read.

In spite of how interesting the plot is, I did struggle through this novel. I'm an editor. I regularly edit fiction and nonfiction novels. As thus, errors in books jump out at me. If the errors are few and far between and don't hinder my reading process, I ignore them. I couldn't ignore them this time.

Charming Incantations has many awkwardly phrased sentences. Many of them are much too long. The main character, Elizabeth, bothered me. A lot of her characteristics borderlined on Mary Sue territory. I couldn't understand why the Alliance didn't just attack the goblins themselves instead of sitting around and waiting for the goblins to attack. At some points, mainly because there weren't any solid goals, I wasn't certain where the plot was going. The one general goal is to defeat the goblins. There aren't any particular steps laid out to do so.

I am NOT bashing Charming Incantations. I think it's important to let anyone reading this review know that there are positives and negatives. The plot has an interesting premise. Those who love supernatural romances will most likely love this. However, there are awkwardly phrased sentences and instances where the plot could have more depth and structure.

Monique Snyman

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Gateways by Jessica Schaub

 *Giveaway Bonus*

The giveaway is closed. The two winners of the signed, print copy of Gateways are Melanie and Anonymous (rkmarsh).

Enjoy the review!

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When Victoria paints landscapes, she becomes fully immersed in her artwork. She can feel the wind coursing through her hair, smell the various scents of nature. Her immersion goes deeper than her love for art or her need to escape the stresses that come along with having an anxious mother and an absentee father.  

You see, Victoria is a Painter with a Capital 'P'. Her landscapes feel so very real because they are real, in a sense. They're gateways. While her paintings aren't passageways to real places, they are windows leading to landscapes stuck in a perpetual loop.


The signs that she is very different can't be ignored: Her right eye changed from brown to hazel; nature, namely a tree and the fountain in front of her school, reacts to her presence; a man wearing odd clothing silently watched Victoria and her friends on their way to school.

However, it's not until she falls into one of her own paintings and struggles to get out that the reality of being a Painter hits her. Without the help of Miss Witherspoon, another Painter, there's no telling how long she would have been trapped in the painting. Her mom's reaction to all the oddities? It's time to pack up and leave as quickly as possible.

Not only are there other Painters, but there are also people worth escaping from.

Unfortunately, the escape doesn't happen smoothly. Victoria goes next door just to say a quick goodbye to her best friends, Bobby and Tucker, but instead the three of them end up frantically running without Victoria's mother and the twins' dad. They only have one goal - hide and stay alive.

They go to the school, seeking Miss Witherspoon's help since she can hide them in a painting. Instead they get attacked and Tucker gets kidnapped by Lucian - a mage imprisoned in a painting for attacking a council member and killing three other mages.

So begins Victoria's adventure. Just when she thought the idea of a Painter was crazy, she learns that element manipulation isn't impossible and mythical creatures, such as sphinx and dragons, aren't so mythical after all. Eventually, they find Tucker, but finding Tucker certainly isn't the end. Victoria and the twins become more and more powerful, and there are many secrets to uncover - secrets about Lucian, their parents, the Council, their power, and The Grandfather's Weapon.

First off, let me start off by saying that I loved this book. I read and review a new book every week. There are some I like and there are some I really like, but there are only a select few I love enough to give five stars and a Reader's Den Choice Award to. Gateways is one of those select few. At first, I wasn't so certain how I felt about this book. The events that happened in the first fifteen pages seemed to happen really fast for me, and I at first couldn't connect with Victoria on an emotional level. However, the story started to pick up for me the moment Tucker traveled into a painting with Victoria and made me smile when he said, “We are in a painting! That’s what wrong!” A couple of pages later, I forgot all about my initial doubts.

Schaub's attention to detail was beautiful and well done. Though I wondered why Anna Witherspoon wasn't more thorough about hiding the painting Lucian was stuck in, most of the plot points in the story were handled very well. Basically, Schaub made sure to cover the bases, which made me really happy since nothing takes me out of a story quicker than thinking, "Um, wait, why didn't the characters just do this or this or that?"

The concepts and the way Schaub handled emotions really sold me. I'm not gonna lie; if a crapload of awesome fantasy concepts are properly integrated in a story, I get weak in the knees. The world becomes real to me. I want to know more.

Vital emotions and reactions that aren't rushed make me weak in the knees too. Hell, I'm grumpy when it comes to most romances in fiction, yet I'm actually excited to learn about how the romance plays out.

There are only two things I find worth pointing out - there are typos here and there, but they are so far and few between that they don't really matter; there are at least one or two relatively small parts where a character's belief in God is the focus of their thoughts or a conversation. The mentions of God aren't pushy, and I have nothing whatsoever against religion, but I'm putting it out there that Victoria is definitely a believer for those of you who may not like that.

Thank goodness there will be a book two (and three)! The ending answered a couple of questions, but it also left quite a lot unanswered as well.

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Escaped the Night by Jennifer Blyth

*Giveaway Bonus*

The giveaway is closed. The winner of the signed, print copy of Escaped the Night is Aralynlove.

Enjoy the review!

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Shanntal has had a rough month, presumably due to the disturbing nightmares she has almost every night. As thus, it's only fitting that the story begins with a nightmare where Shanntal is being stalked by a dark figure with red eyes and bloody hands. Shanntal has dreadful nightmares like this almost every night. She wants to put those nightmares behind her and have fun. What better way to do so than by spending the night at her best friend Ginata's house?

Unfortunately, hanging out with Ginata only makes Shanntal's month that much more difficult. Ginata's interest in witchcraft and Ouija boards grabs the attention of a powerful vampire named Daray who claims he's been searching for Shanntal. One thing leads to another until Shanntal's home becomes nothing more than a mortuary. In the span of one night, Shanntal loses both her family and Ginata's family.

The police have no leads on the murderer(s). Reporters insist that Shanntal is somehow behind the deaths. The only thing Shanntal knows is that the bodies were drained of all liquids and had various bite marks.

With very few reasons to remain in Greyton, Shanntal decides to move to Blackwood with Stephanie, her aunt, and Danier, her uncle. That's how she meets Jayce, an extremely good looking guy with a dangerous vibe who quickly befriends and woos her, and all of his friends. Instead of trying to hide their oddities and powers, they make them clear from the get-go.

However, that powerful vampire Ginata and Shanntal talked to with the Ouija board isn't out of the picture yet. It turns out Shanntal and Daray had a past together. Soon Shanntal finds herself torn between Jayce and Daray. Who should she choose? To make matters worse, there are rumors about a war brewing amongst the immortals. The outcome will be up to Shanntal, since they believe she is the key to keeping peace as the savior. Can Shanntal succed?

The first one hundred pages were pretty rough. I spotted a couple of typos and awkwardly phrased sentences. Even though there were sections dedicated to Shanntal's background and family life, I couldn't quite grasp her special attributes or her seemingly nonchalant reactions to never aging and missing certain memories.  At some points, Shanntal felt like a Mary Sue, mainly because almost everyone was willing to protect and work for Shanntal at a moment's notice due to her being special and unique. I had a hard time understanding why Jayce fell for her so very fast.

However, the story picks up when Shanntal and Jayce get into an argument and Shanntal decides to gather her own small group of friends to find things out herself. When she can't rely on Jayce, Daray, or her shapeshifter friend, the reader really gets a fulfilling and interesting peak into what makes Shanntal unique and special. After adventuring on her own, Shanntal's characterization rounds out and Escaped the Night becomes a read worth finishing.

I'd say that this book appeals most to paranormal romance fans and those who loved Twilight. The start is rocky, but the book is an enjoyable read overall, and the overarching message that love and friendship conquers all is sweet and charming.

Jennifer Blyth is also a painter.

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Freebie Friday: Sykosa by Justin Ordonez

Here's my review

FREE One Day Only: Sykosa, Part I: Junior Year by Justin Ordoñez
"Sykosa makes for some compelling reading. Older teens and adults alike will enjoy Ordoñez 's tale for its humor, realism and relatable protagonist." -- Kirkus Indie Review

Sykosa (that’s “sy”-as-in-“my” ko-sa) is a junior in high school. She belongs to an exclusive clique of girls called the “Queens.” The leader is her best friend Niko. Their friendship has been strained lately because Tom—Sykosa's first boyfriend—has gotten all serious about making her his pretty Prom princess. That is if he ever gets around to asking her. Before Prom, there’s a party at Niko’s cottage where parental supervision will be nil. He wants to have sex. She doesn’t. He sometimes acts like that doesn’t matter.

It matters.

Sykosa has a secret she has never told anyone about. Although, some people—Tom included—know anyway. It happened last year and it was big and she’ll cry if she talks about it so she’s done talking about it, okay? Never mind, it’s nobody's business. Except it keeps happening, and it never stops. She doesn’t want to deal with it. He does. She sometimes acts like that doesn’t matter.

It matters.


The Reviews Are In
Syskosa by Justin Ordoñez is like a fresh breeze in the YA literature world. It is raw, blunt and real. When many of the YA books written are from fantasy or paranormal genres, Sykosa by Justin Ordonez writes about the reality young people face when becoming of age. It is well written, very direct and keeps nothing hidden. — IngaKS

Ordoñez expertly captures the inner worlds of both genders with ease. — Jill Allen, Clarion ForeWord Review

Gritty, intense and definitely not a book I'll forget! — Ajoop. S

Ordoñez made a serious attempt at something near impossible and hardly described in western culture: the inner angst of a teenage girl. — CuriosityWins

This book really snuck up on me. Because during the time that I was reading it, I would find myself thinking about it when I was driving or doing other things. I would be mulling it over, trying to put the pieces together.  — Libby Rodriguez, Libby's Book Blog

Get your FREE copy of Sykosa today only on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007N709IG/

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