My Year 2016 in Books

                                                       

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Review: Ennara and the Book of Shadows

Ennara and the Book of Shadows by Angela Myron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ennara and the Book of Shadows by Angela Myron/Angela Shelley is the first book in the Ennara series. I was severely disappointed by the grammatical errors in this book. The story had promise and the characters were well fleshed out, but I just couldn't enjoy the story for all the errors. With some editing, this book could easily be a four star rating. I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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Review: The Case of the Disastrous Dragon

The Case of the Disastrous Dragon by Mark H. Newhouse
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Case of the Disastrous Dragon by Mark H. Newhouse is the sequel to Welcome to Monstrovia!, which I did not read, but you can read these books as stand-alones. It's a story about Brodie Adkins and his uncle Jasper Doofinch. Jasper is a lawyer, and with the help of his nephew Brodie they take on cases to help the residents of Monstrovia. This story didn't grab my attention as well as I had hoped. I usually love middle school stories, but this one just missed the mark for me. It was whimsical and very imaginative, but the dialogue lacked when it came to convincing me of the characters' conversations. Though this story fell short for me, I think children that are inspiring to become lawyers will appreciate this story. I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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Review: Emissary

Emissary by Thomas Locke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emissary by Thomas Locke is the first book of Legends of the Realm. It is about a young man named Hyam who is on a quest to find out who he is. I'm not sure how I feel about this story. The premise sounded good until I started reading the book. It wasn't my usual fantasy story in that it felt a little lackluster to me. There wasn't the usual action, which gave me pause. It felt more like a love story with a bit of fantasy thrown in. Over all, this book was well written. I won this book in a giveaway, though I'm not sure where I won it from. Anyhow, all opinions are my own.

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Review: Portrait of Rage

Portrait of Rage by Cynthia H. Wise
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Portrait of Rage by Cynthia H. Wise is the first book in The Marcel Experience. It is about a painter, Thomas Shear, who moves into a new house. He then begins to paint portraits of murdered little girls, which is just the tip of the iceberg in this story. It was full of mystery and suspense that I just couldn't stop reading. My only problem with this story is the ending. I felt the ending just didn't go with the story. It must be introduced in the second installment, which I haven't read. If not for the ending, I would have given this book a five star rating. I won this book in a blog giveaway, and all pinions are my own.

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Review: Pennies from Burger Heaven

Pennies from Burger Heaven by Marcy McKay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pennies from Burger Heaven by Marcy McKay is the first book in the Burger Heaven Series. It's about eleven year old Copper Daniels. She and her mother are homeless, but she feels life is good until her mom comes up missing. This book was so well written, and Copper is such an alive character that I just couldn't put this book down. It is so full of mystery and intrigue that it is one book not to be missed. I won this book in a book giveaway, and all opinions are my own.

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Review: The Urban Boys: Discovery of the Five Senses

The Urban Boys: Discovery of the Five Senses by K.N. Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Urban Boys: Discovery of the Five Senses by K.N. Smith is an interesting story about five teenage boys that have mysteriously developed extremely heightened senses. Upon realizing they have these abilities, they become, more or less, vigilantes for the neighboring town of Sandry Lake. This story is full of mystery and adventure, with a bit of paranormal. I was intrigued by the premise of this story. It definitely held my interest from beginning to end. I won this book in a blog giveaway, and all opinions are my own.

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Review: A Whisper of Death

A Whisper of Death by Paul Barrett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Whisper of Death by Paul Barrett is the first book in The Necromancer Saga. It is about Erick Darvaul, a Necromancer, who is on a quest to find the original sorcerers to help destroy the dark ones. I liked this story a lot. It was engaging, exciting, and has me wanting more of Erick's story. I won this book in a giveaway from a blog I follow. All opinions are my own.

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Review: Outpost

Outpost by F.T. McKinstry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Outpost by F.T. McKinstry is a fantasy novel about immortal warlords called the Fylking, and a warlock using Fylking magic to create an army to destroy the world. This is your typical good against evil fantasy. but the world building and character development is anything but typical. F.T. McKinstry's writing style is superb. For a self published novel, this is an excellent fantasy story. I won the Outpost in a blog giveaway, and all opinions are my own.

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Review: The Sabbath

The Sabbath by Arthur Nsenga
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Sabbath by Arthur Nsenga is a dystopian novel centered around Cory and Lana who wake up from a night of partying to meteorites that release a chemical called ATHENS which causes people to become immortal. The premise is intriguing, and well thought out. The characters are believable; some likable, some not. I won this book in a blog giveaway, and all opinions are my own.

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Review: Twists in Time

Twists in Time by Jon Messenger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Twists in Time is an anthology of time travel stories. I usually don't read anthologies or time travel for that matter, but I found these stories interesting and engaging. These authors are very creative in their story telling. The writing is superb and the stories are powerful. I was pleasantly surprised with this anthology. I won Twists in Time in a blog giveaway, and all opinions are my own.

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Review: On Loan: A Reading Under Wraps Short Story

On Loan: A Reading Under Wraps Short Story by Marie Michelle Coleman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

On Loan: A Reading Under Wraps Short Story by Marie Michelle Coleman is a short story about a librarian, Mira Shepard, who finds an untitled book on her desk. Along with her friend Maddie, they embark on a hunt to find out what this mysterious book holds. Along the way, they have countless mishaps. On Loan, for me, was not mysterious enough for the book in question to be so mysterious. It just didn't intrigue me as much as I had hoped. The writing was fairly good, but the characters lacked substance. I won this book in a blog giveaway, and all opinions are my own.

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Review: Nomad

Nomad by Matthew Mather
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nomad by Matthew Mather is a story about Nomad, a mysterious object with more mass than the sun that's headed straight to earth, and Dr. Ben Rollins has to figure out when it's going to hit. I was so intrigued by the concept of this story. It had excitement and mystery going for it. However, I was thrown off track by the introduction of a family feud surrounding the doctor's daughter. I felt that this hindered the possibility of an exceptional story. The daughter's character was not believable in her actions, thus a tremendous disappointment. The feud between two other characters was truly unnecessary. With that being said, the story was well written and grammatically correct. I won Nomad in a giveaway on a book blog and all opinions are my own.

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Review: Casters of Doovik

Casters of Doovik by McKenzie Wagner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I won Casters of Doovik from a book blog that I follow and all opinions are my own. Casters of Doovik is a tale of Meg, a young girl living in Doovik. The walls around Doovik are meant to keep all of Doovik safe from what lies outside the walls. When a curse is put upon the land, Meg and her friends embark on a quest to find a way to break the spell. This is such a charming story. The characters are full of life, and there is an imaginative world the author has created with creatures abound. This is a wonderful middle grade read for all ages.

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Review: Bob

Bob by Tegon Maus
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I won this book in a giveaway from a blog that I follow and all opinions are my own. Bob by Tegon Maus is a story about a newspaper man, Peter Anderson, whose career is on the line if a hot story isn't found. He thinks he has just the story in lights in the night sky over Arizona. I found this book to be your typical sci-fi story. There wasn't anything fresh or new, and the story held very little interest for me. On the other hand, there were bits of humor that kept me reading. I feel this is a book for those with a taste for your standard sci-fi story.

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Review: The Spell Thief

The Spell Thief by Tom Percival
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received The Spell Thief by Tom Percival from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Spell Thief is a story with fairy tale characters, such as Jack (and the Beanstalk), Red (Riding Hood), etc. It is a story about friendship and what can happen when you don't treasure your friends, and accept people for who they are instead of what you think they are. There is definitely a lesson to be learned in this story, especially with everything going on in the world today. Highly recommended for parents of children 5-9 years of age.

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Review: Runes

Runes by Ednah Walters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I won Runes in a giveaway on a blog that I follow. All opinions are my own. Runes by Ednah Walters is a story about seventeen year old Raine Cooper who finds out that she is not like other young ladies. I was somewhat disappointed in this story. It seems that this same story is going around the YA circuit: girl discovers she's different and falls for two guys. I was hoping there would be something refreshing and different with this book. With that being said, I felt that this book was very well written with clean romance.

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Review: Super Freak

Super Freak by Vanessa Barger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I won Super Freak from a blog that I follow. All opinions are my own. Super Freak by Vanessa Barger is a story about Caroline, a thirteen year old girl who moves to a new house which seems to be haunted. While searching the house for what might be haunting it, Caroline stumbles upon a mystery that could destroy the town she calls home. I loved the writing style of Vanessa. This story pulled me in from the beginning and kept me intrigued until the end. This is definitely a must read for lovers of mystery with a paranormal twist.

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Review: The Kraken Sea

The Kraken Sea by E. Catherine Tobler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I won The Kraken Sea in a Goodreads giveaway. All opinions are my own. The Kraken Sea by E. Catherine Tobler is a story of a fifteen year old boy, Jackson, who is very different from other boys. He is not accepted for what he is until he is adopted by Cressida. I found this book to be entertaining, and it is well written and fast paced.

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Review: The Three Thorns

The Three Thorns by Michael Gibney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I won The Three Thorns in a giveaway from a blog that I read. The Three Thorns by Michael Gibney is a story of three brothers, Tommy, Benjamin, and Sebastian, orphaned and separated at birth. They learn of their true destiny in this exciting middle grade fantasy. This story has lots of action and kept me interested in finding out what would happen next.

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