Fify Percent Vampire Review

   

Fifty Percent Vampire
D.K. Janotta

Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy

Release Date: September 5, 2015

Publisher: Blue Tom Publications

ASIN: B0150GNDMA

Pages: 281

Goodreads Rating: 3.57

My Rating: 4.0

Book Description:

TEENAGE GIRL FLEES THE UNDEAD!!!

Living at home is driving seventeen-year-old Astrid Sonnschein nuts. She's desperate to leave her parents behind, and why not, with stepfather George a foul-tempered old vampire, and Mom - well, the less we say about Mom the better.

And our heroine has another compelling reason for getting out of Dodge. If she stays home much longer she's in grave danger of being transformed forever, and the last thing she wants is to become the newest Nosferatu.

So it's off to Rosenberg High and relative safety. Except it's far from safe when her relatives are holier than holy Aunt Jean, beer-swilling couch potato Uncle James and devious, cat-loving cousin Emma. And that's just evenings and weekends. Astrid Sonnschein's schooldays teem with teeth-sinkable challenges, the man of her dreams refuses to play by the rules, and the plethora of pitchfork-bearing peasants are beginning to mutter.

Peasants-schmeasants! It's when the full moon rises that Astrid's real troubles begin ...

 My Take on the Book:

That was a both cute and disturbing book. Seriously though, I don’t know how the author managed that.

This book was a bit slow to begin with but once it picked up I was not willing to put the book down.

I found myself kind of regretting that I choose to read this book so late at night due to some of the more disturbing scenes and wondering how I was going to possibly forget what I had read. Or how I didn’t see any of it coming.

The Great (Pros):

• Unique. The story in itself was kinda different from what I’m used to. It had a Vampire Kisses type feel but a maturity those books didn’t. 

• Characters. I really liked the characters of this story, the good, the bad, the main and the minor. They were well written and planned out.

• Subject matter. While this had me feeling a bit uncomfortable at times, I liked the diversity in this book. There is a bit of everything including some disturbing scenes that I’m likely not to forget anytime soon. Normally I’m not a fan of those more disturbing ones, especially in books that feature younger characters but I felt like it really worked for this book and made it all the better.

•  Curve balls. I liked that a lot of the expected is not well to put it simply… right. At least in my case that is. I found that most of what I was anticipating never came to fruition. That in itself was a curveball. I really enjoyed that aspect of this book.

The Not So Great (Cons):

 

• Predictably. Like so many before it, there were some instances of predictability that really peeved me. I’m usually ok with some ‘aha I knew it’ moments but in a book that was heavy on the curveballs the minor and easily avoidable moments that were predictable and slightly clichéd bothered me. 

• Pace. I was kind of thrown off by the switch in pace. It happened frequently and through off the flow of certain scenes which left me reeling at important moments wonder what the fluff was happening. 

• Character Shifts. The back and forth attitude changes of characters was not something I could follow easily. It broke up the flow of the story and had me scratching my head. And while I did enjoy some of the curveballs that the characters brought in the story, I felt like this was one of this book’s biggest flaws. The facts just didn’t add up and I tend to get really irked by conflicting facts and dates.

 

4 Quills

Even with the cons that I encountered, I found myself really enjoying this book. I loved the whole who dun it mystery aspect as well and the supernatural/paranormal twist but I think what I loved most was the reminiscent quality it had to the  ‘Vampire Kisses’ series. I feel like this is what that book would have been were it a bit more mature and less about wanting to be a vampire or obsessed with vampires in general.

Totally worth it if you have the time and you’re looking for a nice vampire read. Also its free for those with Kindle Unlimited!

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About The Author

D.K. Janotta was born and raised in England and Wales but now calls a chalet on a mountainside overlooking beautiful Lake Geneva in Switzerland home. He has worked in Belgium, The Netherlands, Norway, France, South Korea, and several states of the USA. He subverts the vampire genre to ask questions about and reflect on the meaning of human life.

Author Links:

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Love Me, Love Me Not Review + #Giveaway

Love Me, Love Me Not

Alyxandra Harvey

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: February 22, 2016

Publisher: Entangled Crave

ISBN: 978-1633755352

ASIN: B01B1NC13S

Pages: 211

Goodreads Rating: 3.49

My Rating: 5.0

Book Description:

Dating isn’t easy when you’re in the middle of a blood feud.

Anastasia Vila’s family can turn into swans, but just once she’d like them to turn into responsible adults.

After hundreds of years, they still cling to the blood feud with the Renard family. No one remembers how it started in the first place—but foxes and swans just don’t get along.

Vilas can only transform into their swan shape after they have fallen in love for the first time, but between balancing schoolwork, family obligations, and the escalating blood feud, Ana’s got no time for love. The only thing keeping her sane is her best friend, Pierce Kent.

But when Pierce kisses Ana, everything changes.

Is what Pierce feels for her real, or a by product of her magic? Can she risk everything for her best friend? And when the family feud spirals out of control, Ana must stop the fight before it takes away everything she loves.

Including, maybe...Pierce.

This Entangled Teen Crave book contains language, violence, and lots of kissing. Warning: it might induce strong feelings of undeniable attraction for your best friend.

My Take on The Book:

This must be the year of the great reads…. Or at least great picks, because I have yet to read something I dislike.

I loved this book. The characters. The premise. It’s so refreshing to get a story with a different kind of take on the shifter genre. Now don’t get me wrong… I love typical werewolf type read but there is something so magical (excuse the pun) about a swan shifter. Swans are such beautiful creatures that I couldn’t fathom them as anything but the majestic bird that they have always seemed to be for me. So to be thrust into this world were girls shift into swans and happen to be some fierce kick ass swan girls, was totally refreshing and enthralling.

Ana is a great, sometimes clueless, but a lovely, loyal and smart lead character with a perfect balance in Pierce.

If anything, I found myself enjoying the parts in his POV more!

5 Quills

There is so much to love about this book that I’m not sure where to start. It’s a relatively fast read even for my standards but I never felt like there was anything missing. You get a little bit of everything one would expect for a YA Fantasy shifteresque story. You have romance, mystery, tradition, action and betrayal. I’m pretty sad that this was a one-shot book because I honestly didn’t get enough of these for lack of a better word, charismatic, characters.

Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | EntangledPage

About The Author

Alyxandra Harvey lives in a stone Victorian house in Ontario, Canada with a few resident ghosts who are allowed to stay as long as they keep company manners. She loves medieval dresses, used to be able to recite all of The Lady of Shalott by Tennyson, and has been accused, more than once, of being born in the wrong century. She believes this to be mostly true except for the fact that she really likes running water, women’s rights, and ice cream. Aside from the ghosts, she also lives with her husband and their dogs. She likes cinnamon lattes, tattoos and books.

Connect with the author:  

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Shade Me Book Review + #Giveaway

Shade Me
Nikki Kill #1
Jennifer Brown

Genre: YA Mystery Thriller, Suspense
Release Date: January 19, 2016
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

ISBN: 978-0062324436
ASIN: B00WR0F4D4

Pages: 448
Goodreads Rating: 3.28
My Rating: 5.0

Book Description:

Nikki Kill does not see the world like everyone else. In her eyes, happiness is pink, sadness is a mixture of brown and green, and lies are gray. Thanks to a rare phenomenon called synesthesia, Nikki’s senses overlap, in a way that both comforts and overwhelms her.

Always an outsider, just one ‘D’ shy of flunking out, Nikki’s life is on the fast track to nowhere until the night a mysterious call lights her phone up bright orange—the color of emergencies. It’s the local hospital. They need Nikki to identify a Jane Doe who is barely hanging on to life after a horrible attack.

The victim is Peyton Hollis, a popular girl from Nikki’s school who Nikki hardly knows. One thing is clear: Someone wants Peyton dead. But why? And why was Nikki’s cell the only number in Peyton’s phone?

As she tries to decipher the strange kaleidoscope of clues, Nikki finds herself thrust into the dark, glittering world of the ultra-rich Hollis family, and drawn towards Peyton’s handsome, never-do-well older brother Dru. While Nikki’s colors seem to help her unravel the puzzle, what she can’t see is that she may be falling into a trap. The only truth she can be sure of is that death is a deep, pulsing crimson.

Shade Me is award-winning author Jennifer Brown’s first book in a thrilling suspense series about Nikki Kill.

My Take on the Book:

Well that was completely unexpected.

This book was nothing like what I expected it to be... It was so much more. Nikki Kill was by far one my absolute favorite characters. This was probably my favorite book of 2015. A perfect way to end the year.

I loved everything about this book and its characters, this felt like a new twist on the classic who dun it tale. When you think you have the story solved, the author presents you with another possibility and you are left questioning your own gut.

I think what I liked most was the ending. I can't really get into what about the ending I liked as that would give away the whole story and defeat the whole purpose of you reading it! 

I can't stress how much I enjoyed this book. It was unique and enthralling and while you may have read a story like this, it will never have all the components that make this one so great.

5 Quills

I can't recommend this book enough to you all. Its got a strong female lead like no other. And while she has her moments of typical heroine stupidity, she's young so its not something thats too annoying and it doesn't mess with the flow of the story. I do wish there was more to the story because a lot is left unanswered but then again life is never really tied up all pretty in a nice little bow.

I look forward to reading more from this author and more importantly, this character.

About the Author

Jennifer Brown is the author of acclaimed young adult novels, Hate List, Bitter End, Perfect Escape, Thousand Words, and Torn Away. Her debut novel, Hate List, received three starred reviews and was selected as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a VOYA "Perfect Ten," and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. Bitter End received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and VOYA and is listed on the YALSA 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults list. Her debut middle grade novel, Life on Mars, was released in 2014, and her second middle grade novel, How Lunchbox Jones Saved Me from Robots, Traitors, and Missy the Cruel will be released in summer 2015. She also writes women's fiction under the name Jennifer Scott.

Jennifer writes and lives in the Kansas City, Missouri area, with her husband and three children.

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To Catch a Cat Thief by Sean Cummings Book Review + #Giveaway

To Catch a Cat Thief
Sean Cummings

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, Mystery

Release Date: September 15, 2015

Publisher: Rebelight Publishing

ISBN: 978-0994839909

Pages: 104

Goodreads Rating:  4.50

My Rating: 5.0

Book Description:

Hundreds of cats are missing! Fear not-Penelope Ann Pickersgill and her hippie grandma are on the case. While her friends go to cool camps, twelve-year-old Penelope has to spend the summer with Grandma Bev, who is convinced that cat-eating aliens are beaming the town's furry friends aboard their mother ship at night. Lights in the sky point to UFO's, but Penelope is sure there's a more logical explanation. With a little help from Sherlock Holmes, she and Grandma Bev set out to find the cats. Will they be able to solve the mystery before all the cats in Thornhill disappear?

My Take:

Before Reading this book, I curled up in my bed with a nice cup of Bavarian Wild Berry Tea and before long I was accompanied by a black super furry attention seeking feline. 

It was a really great and fun read. Super cute and with characters that were extremely well developed. From start to finish I was interested and that tends to be tough when it comes to middle grade fiction books... at least I find it difficult to stay focused with characters that are so young. But I found Penelope to be a breath of fresh air and not at all what you would expect of a 12 yr old. I can't say I found any flaws with the execution or story line and I'm genuinely looking forward to buying this book for my niece who loves all animals and anything science related. I think its a great book for kids and even families to share together. I only wish that the book was a tad bit longer but other than that I felt like it was truly golden.

If this author is capable of writing such a great middle grade book than I can only assume the rest of his works will be just as good so I'll definitely be picking up some of his other works!

5 Quills

Amazon | B&N | Chapters | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

About The Author

Sean Cummings is a mutli-published author with works ranging from urban fantasy (Shade Fright, Funeral Pallor) to dark fantasy and superheroes. (Marshall Conrad) 2012 saw the publication of Sean’s first young adult novel. Poltergeeks is a rollicking story about teen witch a race against time to save her mother’s life. The second book Student Bodies, hit stores in 2013. In 2014, he published The North, a gripping post-apocalyptic thriller for teens. To Catch a Cat Thief is Sean's first middle grade novel.

Sean lives in Saskatoon Canada with his wife, two lazy cats and a spotted dog named Stormageddon.

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Two (2) winners will received a physical copy of To Catch A Cat Thief by Sean Cummings (US/Canada)
Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of To Catch A Cat Thief by Sean Cummings (INT)

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BONESEEKER Review + #Giveaway

Boneseeker

Brynn Chapman

Genre: YA Historical Fiction Romance & Mystery

Release Date: June 17, 2014

Publisher: Month9Books LLC

ISBN: 978-1939765383

ASIN: B00JZB8WIC

Pages: 300

Goodreads Rating:  4.25

My Rating: 5.0

Book Description:

Arabella Holmes was born different and raised different. After it became apparent she wouldn’t fit the role of a proper 1900′s lady, her father, Sherlock, called in some lingering favors, and landed her a position at the Mutter Museum. The museum was Arabella’s dream; she was to become a purveyor of abnormal science. What her father called a BoneSeeker.

Henry Watson arrives at the Mutter Museum with a double assignment–to become a finder of abnormal antiquities and to watch over and keep Arabella Holmes. An easy task, if he could only get her to speak to him instead of throwing knives in his general direction.

But this is no time for child’s play. The two teens are assigned to a most secret exploration, when the hand of a Nephilim is unearthed in upstate New York. Soon, Arabella and Henry are caught in a fight for their lives as scientific debate swirls around them. Are the bones from a Neanderthal … or are they living proof of fallen angels, who supposedly mated with humans according to ancient scrolls?

Sent to recover the skeleton, they discover they are the second team to have been deployed and the entire first team is dead. And now they must trust their instincts and rely on one another in order to survive and uncover the truth.

My Take On The Book:

The opportunity to read this book was utterly exciting for me. Sherlock Holmes & John Watson have interested me for many years. I love reading about them and their many adventures. :D As a child, I recall listening to the tales of Sherlock Holmes and always getting super excited when I got the chance to listen to them on the radio. (I still do this when it comes on my Sirius xm radio.)

I jumped into this book with no thought of sleep and read it well into the night. I couldn’t put it down, save for a food break and only because my best friend/roommate made me.

Arabella Holmes as it turns out, is now one of my absolute favorite Heroines and Henry Watson, a swoon worthy hero. The characters, the development and the storyline progress so seamlessly making this story an epic next generation read. Together Arabella and Henry make one of the most noteworthy couples. Different and still retaining that adorable and occasionally sizzling factor.

5 Quills

I was whole heartedly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a bit of mystery (duh there is a Holmes involved), some intrigue, a lot of romance and a dash of the supernatural. I can only hope that there will be more adventures with this lovable duo, even though I couldn’t find anything to state that this was part of a series or a planned series.

I will also admit (with no shame may I add) to vividly seeing Robert Downey Jr as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson whenever they were mentioned or made a debut in the book. I’m not sure why except that I felt the author’s portrayal of these character closely resembles that of

Purchase Links:

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About The Author 

Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Brynn Chapman is the daughter of two teachers. Her writing reflects her passions: science, history and love—not necessarily in that order. In real life, the geek gene runs strong in her family, as does the Asperger’s syndrome. Her writing reflects her experience as a pediatric therapist and her interactions with society’s downtrodden. In fiction, she’s a strong believer in underdogs and happily-ever-afters. She also writes non-fiction and lectures on the subjects of autism and sensory integration and is a medical contributor to online journal The Age of Autism.

Author Links:

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Four (4) winners will receive an ebook copy of Boneseeker by Brynn Chapman (INT)

One (1) winner will receive an ebook copy of Boneseeker by Brynn Chapman AND a $10 Amazon Gift Card or B&N Gift Card – Winner’s Choice (INT)

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