Years ago, humans destroyed most of the planet creating a world of harmful UV radiation and scarce food.  Under the dome of the Purenet, the wealthy live a carefree life with engineered food and protection from the sun.  Skylier and her family live in Cueva, an underground system outside of Purenet.  Skylier and her brother want nothing more than to be able to raise enough money to buy medicine for their mother's cancer.  To do this, they must go to Purenet and be chosen for the Sanction Games or to be a Host and bear a child for a Purenet family. When Skylier gets to Purenet, she realizes that there are many secrets hidden from her and that everything is what it seems.

This was a quick, fun dystopian read.  After the initial info-dump about the Cueva, Purenet, the Sanction Games and some of Skylier's family history, I was able to actually get to know the characters a little more and get a feel for the setting.  Things picked up for me when Skylier was in Purenet and realized that she could read the thoughts of someone other than her brother and that the leaders of Purenet were harming the outsiders.  I didn't feel an instant connection with Skylier, but the book was pretty short.  Some of her decisions were good, some not so good. There is a lot of action going on through the last half of the book and some unexpected twists that kept me excited.  I actually could have used a little more information about how the world came to be so volatile and some more background on some of the people that Skylier met in Purenet, just not in info-dump form.  I would be interested in the next book to see what happens to the characters and what they decide to do with the information that they have learned. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Princess Eglantine of Cray has been trapped in a world of sleep and dreams by a Witch who was forcefully separated from her own daughter.  The Witch has cursed Eglantine to sleep forever, unless her brother frees a terrible beast.  In her endless dreams Eglantine has found that she can visit the nearby Kingdom of Fallund and that one of the Princes of Fallund, Prince Henry can hear and see her.  Meanwhile, Prince Duncan becomes engrossed by a prisoner, a beast that turns out to be a young woman sentenced for murder. How will all of these events unfold to create a happily ever after?

So, I'm a huge fan of fairy tale retellings and I obviously loved this combination of two different fairy tales.  The merging of the two tales was done very creatively and not at all what I had expected.  I was not expecting Eglantine to be such a prominent character since she was asleep; however, her ability to dream herself into Prince Henry's life made her an important figure.  I was surprised that Prince Henry acknowledged the woman that only he could see in his everyday life, making many of his advisers and subjects think he was crazy.  The beast was also unexpected to me, not a man, but a terrible past trapped inside of a young woman.  I was most intrigued by the beast or Ovinia's character and I would have loved to learn more of her past.  Of course, in the end and in true fairy tale fashion, love finds a way to break the curse.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Abbey Sinclair is a high school freshman who spends her days studying the periodic table of the elements and reciting scientific principles.  She enjoys a completely normal life until her older brother Simon and twin brother Caleb drag her along on a completely irrational adventure.  Simon discovers a set of strange stones on Coventry Hill near their home.  When Abbey, Caleb and Simon step onto the stones, they are taken somewhere else, somewhere that seems like a very familiar future.  When the siblings learn of someone trying to do something dangerous with the stones, they are compelled to try and stop them, even if they don't quite understand everything themselves.  

Immediately thrown into the adventure, A Pair of Docks offers a different kind of time-travel story.  Compelling characters, danger and mystery drive the story forward.  Even as an adult, I found plenty to enjoy throughout the story.  I immediately connected with Abbey who was always trying to frame things through the lens of the scientific method. It was refreshing to see a character who didn't just accept that they had time traveled, but tried to figure out how and why it could happen using her current knowledge.  Another amazing character is Mark, the Sinclair's neighbor.  Mark has Aspergur's syndrome, he is integral to the story and the sibling's success.  I liked the overall mystery of the stones and the ties to each of the character's futures, the reveal wasn't what I was expecting.  My only complaint was that there were chronically absent parents, although there were explanations given and they stepped in towards the end.  

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Morgan Abbey is not one of the popular girls at school, especially since her mom disappeared ten years ago and her father was suspected for foul play; however she is the resident psychic. She has always had the uncanny ability to see bits and pieces into others lives.  When Morgan unexpectedly meets Kellen at a party, she learns that her life is about to change.  Morgan's abilities are just an uncanny feeling, she is a Veneret, a race with special abilities.  Her powers have seemed to awaken the powers in other Naturals, a Veneret born to human parents.  Now, Kellen and other Venerets are telling her that she is the One, the One to bring the Venerets back to power.  

Awaking was a quick, easy Young Adult paranormal read.  It wasn't bad, but it was just sort of middle of the road for me.  Morgan's character is a typical teenage girl who finds out she has special powers; I actually did like how Morgan handled herself in most situations, making thoughtful decisions and not just accepting everything outright because a cute boy said it.  And of course, there are cute boys everywhere, including a potential love triangle.  The story moved a little slow for me in the middle, there are lots of parties, relationship potentials and learning about new powers that Morgan has awakened.  It picked up near the ending, where more secrets are revealed and Morgan must make a choice about what it means to be the 'One.'  I will probably still pick up the next book because I want to know more about the Veneret and what Morgan decides to do. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Adelei has grown up among the Amaskan's, trained to protect and kill, they are known as assassins.  Adelei is one of the best.  Adelei receives a job in the Kingdom of Alexander playing a body double to Princess Margeret, protecting her up through her wedding day.  The man Princess Margeret is contracted to marry, Prince Gamun has many unsavory rumors surrounding him; but the marriage contract serves as a peace contract between two Kingdoms.  While the job is inherently dangerous for Adelie, the biggest hurdle will be confronting the many secrets of her past. 

An exciting epic fantasy filled with intrigue and layers upon layers of well crafted secrets and lies.  Adelei's character is an enigma that constantly drew me into her story.  Her upbringing as an Amaskan is contradictory to her birth, yet her training is what her birth Kingdom needs;  Adelei is also  strong and well trained, but vulnerable due to her confusing past.  The added mystery of Prince Gamun's dirty deeds and mysticism generated a strong antagonist against the gentle and flighty Princess Margaret.  The conflicts within the story created intensity and suspense, many characters were facing both internal and external struggles that made Amaskan's Blood a thought-provoking read.  I would love to know more about the land of the Little Dozen Kingdoms, where the story is set, their past histories and wars and the people of the different lands.  I'll be looking forward to the next book.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.  

About the Author: 
Raven Oak is the author of the epic fantasy novel, Amaskan’s Blood,
due out in January 2015, and the upcoming space opera, The Silent
Frontier. She spent most of her K-12 education doodling stories
and 500 page monstrosities that are forever locked away in a filing
cabinet.
After twelve years as an English and computer teacher in Texas,
she retired from education to pursue writing full-time. She lives in
Seattle, WA with her husband and their three kitties, who enjoy
lounging across the keyboard when writing deadlines approach. Raven is currently at
work on the sequels to both Amaskan’s Blood and The Silent Frontier