Jack Starling is a 25 year old ex-SEAL  who is having trouble finding a job, needs therapy and plenty of meds to deal with his headaches.  He also hasn’t had any luck with women.  At his therapist request, he hasn’t had any contact with the members of his SEAL team; but, when one of his team goes missing, Jack re-assembles everyone for a dangerous mission.  Jack’s friend, Moon, has been abducted and taken to a secret base in New Mexico.  Some strange things are going on in this base and Jack doesn’t find out exactly what until he meets an even stranger woman.  Cassandra is like no one Jack has ever met before, and for a good reason, she is not from this planet.  Cassandra has insight into the base and the aliens that run it, but what do all the aliens want with Earth?

A quick science fiction read with lots of action, government conspiracy and aliens.  Jack was an awesome character with a ton of great skills and an awesome personality, but is also very realistic to the experience an ex-SEAL might experience.  Cassandra is also engrossing; she is very close to a human and a strong, female warrior of her species.  I was really intrigued by the different alien races, what they are doing on Earth and any possible threat that they might be to humans.  There is a lot to think about with what Jack finds out about the aliens and their purpose. There is a lot of science, technology and politics involved with this, but it is well explained and there is some really cool technology in here.   I do wish the prologue tied into the book a little more, and the end did seem a little rushed with a lot going on, but overall this is a good sci-fi read and great for lovers of Star Trek.

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

Harley lives in the small town of Shadow Pines, where the town lives up to its name; Harley sees detached shadows roaming around the town from time to time.  After Harley’s mom disappears and her dad brings home Amy, her new step-mother, Harley begins slipping.  Harley is getting in trouble at school and can’t seem to shake her abusive boyfriend, Nash.  On her 16th birthday, Harley receives an invitation from the new Curiosity shop in town offering her a free gift.  Three other students that Harley goes to school with receive the same invitation, Teaghan, a loner, Gianna, an active, smart student and Brock, Mr. Perfect.  Everyone receives a strange Shadow Box, they are told that they must trade someone to the Shadows, rendering them non-existent, or a loved one will be taken in their place.  The teens must decide what to do with their new power, will they use it responsibly or will it go to their heads?

This YA urban fantasy had a really interesting concept.  What teen wouldn’t want the power to get rid of their worst enemy?  The story is told through two of the teen’s point of views, Harley and Teaghan.  Each of these girls has their issues, Harley has a step-mom who clearly doesn’t understand teenagers and has plenty of issues with her boyfriend, Teaghan has extreme social anxieties, stutters when she speaks to anyone and has no friends until she and Harley are brought together.  I could identify with some of the issues that each of the teens was going through and it was engaging to see how each of them dealt with the decision they had to make with the Shadow Box.  I was intrigued by the Shadows themselves and the concept of them needing to be kept fed to keep more and more disappearances from happening.  I do wish a little more was explained about some of the other weird things in the town, such as the forced medication, drivers permits only given to those deemed worthy and the fact that no one seems to move out of town.  Also, the prologue and epilogue seemed a little disjointed from the bulk of the story and I wonder if it will be explained in the next book.

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

 

Vivan’s entire life changes after her mother dies and her father decides that he cannot take care of her.   She is sent to the small town of Misty Hills to live with her two aunts that she did not even know existed until after her mother dies.  As soon as she arrives in Misty Hills, things seem disconcerting.  She learns that her aunt’s never really leave the Tremaine Estate, where they live, that the town was founded by people escaping persecution by the Salem Witch Trials, that everyone seems to have secrets, especially her mother, and that her whole family lives with a curse. 

I was very intrigued by the mystery of the curse and the town of Misty Hills.  Everyone in Misty Hills holds a secret, which made the overall tone of the book very mysterious.  However,   I don’t know why none of the characters wanted to divulge anything about Vivian’s family or the town secrets even when Vivian asked directly; but then everyone acted was defensive when Vivian wanted to try to find out more by herself.  It was like they wanted Vivian to stay ignorant of the town and the people, but then hold her accountable for not understanding what was happening.   Vivian does prevail in learning about her family’s past and holds it together pretty well when an overwhelming amount of secrets about her mother come to light.  I empathized with Vivian when she is kept in the dark for so long.  The supporting characters add a lot to the story and make up  a great cast, from two eccentric aunts to the typical high school mean girls and plenty of guys that are easy on the eyes, Vivian has many personalities to deal with.  The ending bothered me a bit, it just sort of stops…I don’t even know to call it a cliffhanger.  I do really want to know what happens next for Vivian now that she has some things figured out.