A Chalice of Wind by Cate Tiernan

This is the first novel in the Balefire series by Cate Tiernan.

After traveling across Europe for 4 weeks, Thais Allard returns home to find out her father was killed in a car accident. Since she has no other family, she was going to stay with her neighbor for her senior year and then figure out where to go to college.

But a stranger comes in and says that her father wanted Thais to stay with her if anything had happened to him. Thais has no idea who this woman (Axelle) is, but she is forced to leave Connecticut and move to New Orleans.

Once Thais goes to school, everyone is looking at her as if they've seen a ghost. Some act as if they already know her, others are bewildered by the sight of Thais.

It just so happens that there is another girl who looks exactly like Thais. Down to the birthmark on their cheeks.

Clio Martin is stunned when she sees her reflection looking back at her at school, just with a different hairstyle.

The girls find out that they are twins separated at birth. Clio grew up with her heritage - they are wiccans and practice magick. Thais is thrown into the wiccan world, not knowing if she believes in magick or not.

Things become clearer when other witches explain their history - the girls are part of the original 15 families of witchcraft and, because they are twins, their circle is now 13 - the number they need to complete their circle. Without 13, their circle is nothing and they cannot perform circle magic.

But things are not always as they seem. Both girls have fallen in love with an older, mysterious boy - but later find out that not only is their love the same person, but he is also part of their new circle.

And events are happening that make it seem like someone is trying to kill one or both of the twins. Can Clio and Thais trust these complete strangers? Will joining the circle be the best thing, or the worst mistake of their lives? Read A Chalice of Wind by Cate Tiernan to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I adore Cate Tiernan. I read her series Sweep when I was in high school and loved every novel, so it goes without saying that I enjoyed the first book in this other series she wrote.

This book reminded me of Sweep but also the series T*Witches by H.B. Gilmour and Randi Reisfeld with the twins separated at birth that are witches.

There was a part in the story where I was completely lost. Names were being thrown out of the pages left and right and I wasn't sure who they were or how they related to the two girls, but after getting through the book I see the connection. It was just frustrating to not know who was who when I first started the book.

I like both Clio and Thais in their different ways.

Clio is brave, outgoing, sexy, and smart when it comes to magick.

Thais is shy, polite, reserved but also smart and brassy when she has to be. She knows nothing about magick but is willing to learn and learns fast.

Their reaction when first meeting one another was to be expected and I'm glad that Tiernan didn't make them over excited to find out they have a long-lost sister. That wouldn't have been realistic and she made my wishes come true.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes stories about magic or witches. There are other side stories in this novel, but you have to like magic and witches to appreciate this series.

The good thing about this book is I bought the Ominous novel, so I have all 4 volumes of this series in one book! And I'm going to jump into the next one right...now! :D

Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

Noelle doesn't like going to high school. Well, who does? But Noelle is one of the poorest students at this high school - everyone else is really rich, so she gets bullied and picked on.

But Noelle also doesn't like to be at home. Her mother always complains about work, she blames their poorness on Noelle, and doesn't leave any food for Noelle to make lunches.

So Noelle is stunned when gorgeous, rich, and nice guy Julian starts to talk to Noelle - and not to make fun of her or bully her. He actually talks about topics Noelle can relate to.

That all stops, though, when Julian asks her out on a semi-date and Noelle turns him down. But Noelle knows that once Julian finds out exactly what Noelle goes through between her mother and the bullying classmates, he won't want to be with her.

When a classmate that Noelle somewhat knew, Ali, commits suicide, Noelle realizes that she needs to start changing her attitude toward life. And to start sticking up for herself instead of letting the bullies get away with every mean thing they do.

But a life of being bullied puts pressure on a person. Can Noelle finally go after what she wants and stand up to the bullies? Or will she stay the same shy, timid, and scared person she's always been? Read Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This book has a great message to the readers. Bullying is a huge part of high school, no matter where you live and I think it's a great topic to write about and show the readers that anyone can find help they need when being bullied.

I'm just not sure that this was my favorite novel. It's a very short novel, just 202 pages, but it seemed to take me forever to get through it.

I loved how Noelle grew as a character and a person throughout this novel. She started to make more friends, found a group that she loved, and maybe found her lifetime goal career after she gets out of high school.

And I love her determination to her her friend, Sherae, after a bad relationship ended abruptly.

Just, for some reason, I found something to be lacking in this story. Nothing horrible, just something little that I was missing.

This topic can really be helpful to teen girls (or guys as well) who are bullied. I think that any teen reader should pick this up and read Noelle's story to see how well she grew throughout the last semester of one high school year.

The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer

**I won this eBook novella from the author through the LibraryThing Member Giveaway free in exchange for my honest review.**

For years now, there has been a drought that has not let up.

Water is timed per month - if a household uses too much water in a month they will lose their water until the first of the next month. Instead of having water bottles to drink, they have gel packs to conserve water.

Food is bland and nothing tastes well. No citrus food at all.

Clothes are dusty and heat stroke is a very common way to die if people aren't carefully when they are outside during the day.

Fortunately, there is a way out of this miserable life. At the age of 17 or older, anyone can sign the Forever Contract, where they get to live in their own virtual world. Wherever they want to live - in the city, country, beach, small town - they will be able to go there in a blink of an eye.

Water and food are there with the very thought of what you want. You will not want anything in Forever - it is a virtual heaven.

Casey is turning 17 soon. She wants to sign the Forever Contract and join her older brother, Ben, who went there a few years ago.

Casey's boyfriend, James, is forbidding to sign the contract. He says that no one is living in this virtual world. They are actually dying in this world.

James knows things that Casey doesn't about the Forever Contract. Things that will make him try to keep her from signing it no matter what the cost is.

But will James stop Casey in time from joining the Forever Contract world? Will anybody listen to James's pleas? Read The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. I didn't think I would enjoy this story as much as I did. There have been a lot of dystopian novels coming out this summer and it's starting to be a "too-much" topic for me to keep reading, but Avery Sawyer really hooked me and got me sucked into this futuristic world!

(Also, side note, it wasn't hard to be sucked into this drought world because this summer has been the driest I've been through, so I could definitely see this occurring in the future! At least right now, when it's 100 degrees every day!)

This story was told by both Casey and James, so we got to see why each character chose the path that they wanted.

Casey is a fighter, and I love tough, strong female characters. She also listened to James even though she disagreed with his viewpoints on the Forever Contract.

James is a smart, nerdy guy but also very attractive and easy going. He was determined to get Casey to listen to him, even if it meant breaking a few laws to get his point across!

There were a few grammatical and punctuation errors that I found while reading this 33 page novella, something I've come to expect when getting either 1) an electronic copy or 2) an early reader copy. Not too many errors, just enough for me to notice while flying through this novella.

Overall, I thought this was a great novella! I did have a problem with the abrupt ending and I'm hoping that Sawyer will continue this story either with more novella's or with regular length novels. I need to find out what happens to James and Casey!!!

I would definitely recommend this novella to everyone - guys and girls since there are narrators of both genders. This goes along with the dystopian genre that has grown popular this past year, but is unique in it's own way to make it stand out from other novels being published.

The Sixth Wife by Laura Lond

**I won this eBook novella from the author through the LibraryThing Member Giveaway free in exchange for my honest review.**

Adelia knew when the faerie knight, Sir Ametar, asked for her hand in marriage, it would not be the same as a human marriage.

Ametar is hundreds of years old. He has been through tens of battles and has had 5 other marriages.

Adelia is an 18 year old human girl who fell in love with Ametar the moment her eyes saw him. So knowing they were completely different didn't matter, as long as she could spend her life with him.

And that's exactly what she did.

Now, however, she's 75 and she is starting to show her age. Adelia doesn't want Ametar to see her get any older than she is - she already looks like his grandmother. So Adelia decided she's going to live the rest of her life in a cottage alone to keep Ametar from her decaying and death.

But Ametar doesn't want her to leave. He has fallen completely in love with Adelia - as much in love as he was with his first human wife. However, he understands why she wants to leave, but it is heartbreaking for him.

If only there was a way to keep her with him forever, without the thought of dying hanging over their heads. Could there ever be a way for them to be together? Read The Sixth Wife by Laura Lond to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This was a great short read! Even though it was just 16 pages long, I felt like I got enough content and story that a normal length book would have, except none of the extensive description.

I was able to see the setting of the story, and get the feeling that while Adelia and Ametar were glad to be married, the tension around anyone else (fey or human) was unnerving for both characters.

Adelia was really brave throughout this novella. How many human girls would jump into a marriage after meeting a handsome faerie knight who they know nothing about, and know that they will be in this marriage until death? Well... apparently 5 others, but that's still really brave and unknown!

Also, because I've edited a few eBooks or self-published books, I always look for grammatical or punctuation errors, and was really pleased to see that there weren't any noticeable through my first reading!

I thought this was a great read and a different storyline played with faeries - instead of focusing on wars or who gets to rule the kingdom, this was about trying to keep their loved one with them for all time. Refreshing and unique compared to other fey stories.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants another twist on faeries, anyone who wants a short read with enough storyline to keep them content, and a story that could be ventured off into another book if the author wishes to do so (I have no idea if she will or not, she just left it open at the end to continue if that's in the future).

Overall, great story and now I'm interested to read more from this author!

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

When Travis Stephenson returns home for a 4 week leave from the Marines stationed in Afghanistan, everything has changed since a year ago.

His girlfriend broke up with him through a letter to tell Travis that she was now seeing his brother, Ryan.

His parents are splitting up after a hard year living together.

He has lost one of his closest friends from his Marine friends and is being haunted by his memory.

There is one interesting development that happened since he came back home. He got punched by a girl who didn't care that he was back home from Afghanistan. She was just mad he was hitting on her after ruining her life for the last 4 years.

But Harper got over her anger toward Travis when they started to hangout more often during his leave.

Oh, Travis still did things to make Harper mad. But there is an attraction between the two of them that they are unable to hide from.

Travis has 3 more years left dedicated to the Marines, but he is being haunted by the memory of his friend that died in Afghanistan. Will anything go back the way it used to be? Or will there need to be a different kind of normal to get used to now that he's been at war? Read Something Like Normal by Trish Doller to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
It must be the month to read YA books about going off to war for me! While I didn't really enjoy the book While He Was Away by Karen Schreck, I absolutely loved this novel by Trish Doller! It was tough, humorous, but also devastatingly sad and emotional.

Travis is a tough guy. Especially after being a Marine for a year. But he is still vulnerable even though he doesn't show it to anyone.

After everything that has changed in the last year, Travis is just bidding his time to get back to Afghanistan. He doesn't let anything touch him emotionally.

But after meeting Harper again, things started to get interesting. I loved Harper. She didn't treat Travis like a fragile thing, but let him have it right from the beginning.

And I really enjoyed how this novel was through Travis's perspective - the solider's perspective. I think Doller did a great job portraying how a solider can feel after being in line of duty for so long to come back to "normal" and not feel normal one bit.

I would recommend this book to anyone - no matter gender or age. I think it can be relatable to any reader, no matter if they haven't been to war. It is also a short book, just 214 pages and is really easy and fast to read. Even though it's a smaller book, it will impact all readers in some way and make them really think after they are finished with the novel.

I'm not sure how else to say how wonderful this book was except to go buy or check it out at your library to find out for yourself why I think everyone should read this novel to experience all of the emotions that I just went through!

Go get it. Now! :)

Roswell (TV show)

As some of you may have noticed, I've been mysteriously gone from my blog. That would be because I started watching Roswell. And I became addicted to it. I watched all 3 seasons (61 episodes total) in 6 days.

So I'm going to blog about it :)

Roswell aired from 1999-2002, so it is an older show which you can see by looking at their cell phones and the gas prices! 

This television show is about 3 characters who are aliens. They were born out of a pod, 30 some years after a spacecraft crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. 

The three aliens (named Max, Isabel, and Michael) were doing pretty well keeping their identity a secret from everyone. That was, until Max healed a human from a gunshot wound. But Max was not going to let Liz die because he has secretly been watching her, growing feelings for her, even though he has never talked to her. 

After he brought Liz back from the brink of death, though, Liz wanted answers. And she got them. She was in on their secret, making her the first human to know that aliens really do exist, even if they look like normal human beings instead of 3 feet green people. 

But then Liz's best friend Maria was let in on the secret too, because Maria is too smart for her own good and knew something happened to Liz that day she got shot. 

Then throughout the series, these 5 characters (along with a few more that will find out throughout the show. And no, I'm not saying because you'll need to watch it to find out ;-)) will be put in the middle of alien related events that will put their lives at risk.

I was hooked right away with this show. The chemistry between Liz and Max is extreme that any viewer can see they are having a horrible time keeping their relationship platonic. And I absolutely love the actress who played Liz, Shiri Appleby, even though I've never seen her in any other show. 

There were also famous actors/actresses in here like Colin Hanks (Tom Hanks's son) and Katherine Heigl.

And I was ecstatic that it was only 3 seasons, because I am well known to sit in one spot during a 10 season show and stick with it. So I didn't waste my whole life watching this particular tv show :) Although I would have if there were more seasons!

There was so many twists and turns throughout this show that I thought it was more than 3 seasons, though. It was still hard to get to the end of the series, though. 

However, there was an ending that could be continued if anyone desired to continue the 3 aliens's story. But seeing as how it has been 10 years since the conclusion, I doubt that is going to happen anytime soon. 

So, yes. This show is about aliens. 

But it's also about forbidden love, tortured soul mates, destinies that need to be fulfilled, futures that are not determined, and relationships that outlast anything that comes in their path. 

I'm so glad I finally sat down to watch this show, and if any of the above sounds like something you want to watch, I would strongly recommend watching this very short, but impacting television show as soon as possible!

While He Was Away by Karen Schreck

During the summer before Penna's senior year in high school, her boyfriend, David, went off to Iraq to fight in the war.

The time when David went off to training camp was hard on Penna. Now David will be in Iraq for a year, a year that Penna has to find something to occupy her mind with so she doesn't go stir crazy while David is away.

Penna's mother then makes her work at Red Earth, the restaurant that she manages. At first Penna wants nothing to do with working. She wants to write to David, think about David, and anxiously sit next to the phone for when he can call.

But after working at Red Earth for awhile, Penna finds herself making some new friends, finding activities to do, and the waiting is less intense than at the beginning of the year.

Penna also has found her lost long grandmother. Now Penna can get to know her roots and get to know her grandmother after all of this time.

After a while, Penna finds that she's missed phone calls from David. Before, it would have really upset her that she missed them. She tries to call back but is not able to get through.

It's almost the beginning of senior year. Only 9 more months until David is back. Will things fall back into place by the time he returns? Will Penna be the same girl when he left? Will David be the same boy before he left? Read While He Was Away by Karen Schreck to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Okay...This book. I'm at odds with it. On the one hand, it was a great depiction of what happens when loved ones are separated and when an armed forces solider goes off to war.

On the other hand... I could not relate to this novel or the characters at all. I think I had to be able to understand what was going on and I just couldn't.

I've never had anyone in my family go off to war. Not even distant relatives. So what Penna and David were going through? I have no idea. Maybe this is how relationships happen when one goes off to war.

So while I didn't enjoy this story, I can completely understand how everything panned out the way it did and why the characters acted the way they did.

I think readers who have been through this situation would enjoy the story better than I did. I'm not sure if younger readers could read this and really understand the meaning behind the story, and old readers can read it, but they might have the reaction I did if they have no experience with this subject.

It is a great story to be told, though, given the events that are happening today. I just didn't connect with the story as well as I wanted to for some reason.