Advent - Angels of the Night by Wyatt Damon

"After being called a freak for as long as he can remember, Angelo knows his 18th birthday will change his entire life. He comes from a family of demons and, on that day, he will become one of them. He is determined to do what is right, unlike his father, who murdered his mother.

But unlike his family, Angelo’s curiosity leads him to knowledge that puts his family and friends’ lives in danger. When mysterious murders occur in Graven, The Town of Angels, Angelo fears that an old enemy may be back to finish a job. 

He is faced with the ultimate decision: to stay on the Light side, and try, with all his might, to become an angel like his mother, or join Hell’s Army and bring the world to its knees" From Amazon.co.uk

I don't often read books that feature demons, werewolves or any of their like, but the blurb for this book struck me as being as little bit different so I decided to give it a go.

The book starts with a fearful young boy being protected from harm by his devoted brothers. Having set the scene we then pick up the thread as Angelo approaches his 18th birthday. He is afraid of his upcoming transition to demon, and is scared that the circle of friends and the life he has found will fall apart. Brothers Leon and Eric are there to guide him but none of the three have a full idea of what they are about to face.

Told in the first person from Angelo's viewpoint we find a young man who really wants to be normal; hang with friends, find a girlfriend, avoid the school bully, but is facing a terrifying situation. We discover more about his situation as he slowly uncovers the truth about who and what he is. I liked Angelo and his love interest, and felt for him trying to overcome the conflict he's faced with but found some of the characters a bit like caricatures and wasn't as invested in any of them as I probably should have been to have made the most of this story.

As far as the plot went, the murders mentioned in the blurb didn't really feature until later in the book and their introduction into the plot felt a bit forced and the fact they had occurred was largely glossed over and neither here nor there really. I think they could have been left out and had no negative effect overall.

Some of the writing conveyed the tension and fear well but at times the action scenes felt a bit rushed and I found myself struggling to keep visualising what was happening. I also found some of it a bit predictable and when I got towards the end and realised the tale would only be concluded in a later book was a bit disappointed. I'm not sure I'm enthusiast enough about it to read any more but didn't really get a proper conclusion.

Maybe this was a step too far outside my comfort zone and other people might love this book, but for me it was just okay.

Format: Kindle, review copy
Publisher: Rebel ePublishers
My Rating: 2*

Eligere (Seranfyll, Book 2) by Christina Daley

I read the first book in this series last year and was totally charmed by Seranfyll. As such I was looking forward to finding out where Domrey, Rain and co would be come Book 2. Eligere picks up the story a few years later. Liberated slaves Rain and Snow are missing Domrey who is travelling the world in the service of the King. Rain in particular is unimpressed with the demands placed on them by their tutor and she is missing Coal, who is away at university studying law. She is delighted when the unusual little family are reunited and Domrey allows them all to travel to Amyrania with him, while he performs a favour for the King. Snow on the other hand is less keen, having heard stories of the Storm Siders of Amyrania being cannibals. The trip throws up a number of challenges and even Rain gets more than she bargained for.


Eligere introduces a number of new characters, some of whom I am guessing will feature in further books in the series. There is even a little romance for members of the Seranfyll clan, although as a book mooted as suitable for ages 10+ it is all very subtle and cleanly done. As in the first book the author tackles important themes in an accessible way for younger readers. The ills of slavery are touched on again but the more dominant theme relates to the divisions between the two sides of Amyrania and the need to overcome the past for the common good.


While there were some lovely pieces of prose and I still enjoyed the quirky magic; Domrey's knitted spells and new character Phin's illustrations that come to life, this installment didn't hit the mark with me in the same way. Domrey didn't feature as strongly, which was a shame as I took a shine to him, and Rain came over as a bit of a petulant child. As the central character in this book my irritations with her distanced me. Also I found several typos and there was some really clumsy writing that seriously detracted from the stronger parts. As an example "...that allowed Domrey to take them out on real holiday kinds of things, like to the theatre, museums, the market, or as was their most favourite past time, on rides." 


Overall this book felt like it was written for the bottom end of the 10 yr + audience, where the first had a more universal appeal. I think unfortunately it falls short of the success that is Seranfyll and wonder where the next book in the series will go, as the door is left wide open for the tale to continue.


Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 2*

Dawn's End Poisoned by Bonnie Ferrante

Although I hadn't read the first book in this series (Dawn's End) it sounded like this YA fantasy novel would stand well on its own. After her mother's death Anastacia travels abroad for a family wedding but stumbles into another world where she finds that she has grown up believing lies. There is a good reason that she has no photos of her father or a birth certificate. Dawn's End was a place of idyll but has been corrupted by negative influences from our world. Anastacia is seen by a small band determined to fight the dark powers as a saviour but can she harness her natural powers?

YA fantasy is right on the edge of my comfort zone, but I enjoyed the read. Anastacia is a mix of kick-ass 16 year old and innocent, grieving young woman. In Dawn's End she teams up with an assortment of characters and encounters creatures she wouldn't have imagined could be real. Watching her find her feet was interesting, even if at times I found her a little bit irritating (maybe because I'm closer to her mum's age than hers) I quite liked the development of the history behind the peoples of Dawn's End and felt that enough was revealed for this book to work well without having read the other book first. 


As far as the writing goes I found it a well paced easy read but wasn't entirely sure what age range the books are targeted at. There is some content of a sexual nature and some violence but the way it is written made it feel more suited to a younger audience for whom the content might not be appropriate. There are some positive messages to take away from the story without it feeling preachy which is no bad thing.


The ending didn't work perfectly for me, just before the end it moved the focus away from Anastacia before moving back to her and ending a bit too abruptly, but it certainly sets up well for the next book in the series. 


Format: Kindle, review copy
Publisher: Noble Young Adult
My Rating: 3*

Book Review: Surviving the Fog by Stan Morris

Surviving the Fog tackles a familiar theme but in a slightly different way from similar tales. A group of pre-teens and teens at a camp to teach the benefits of abstinence and birth control find themselves abandonded when all the adults (bar one who remained behind) fail to return from an outing. Initially they make the most of the freedom but as time passes some of the kids start to become concerned. The remaining adult is in denial and it is only when one of the boys decides to venture out that they discover a strange and lethal fog has blanketed the world, but has not reached the altitude their mountain camp is located at. The book documents their efforts at survival. Firstly they have to consider their food supply, then turn their attention to how to survive a harsh winter in a camp designed for summer vacationers. They have to be resourceful and toughen up if they are going to survive.

This book is about teens and their relationships as well as their quest to create a new society. This and the way the book is written pitches it to the YA audience more than adults. There is some sex and violence but brief and not particularly graphic. The language was uncomplicated and the writing was very matter of fact. There was a slight lack of demonstration of how the emotions the survivors went through affected them, and it almost had a diary quality about it. It certainly fitted with how one of the youths might have narrated what happened them. The story is narrated in the third person from a number of viewpoints. There are a lot of characters to follow, although they don't all necessarily have large roles and "Chief" Mike is the main protagonist. At times the book moved around so quickly I struggled a little to keep track of who was who and perhaps because of the above I didn't really find myself connecting particularly well with any of them.

What I did enjoy though was the way I found myself wondering how I might cope in their circumstances and whether I might have come up with the sort of plans and solutions they did. I appreciated the descriptions of the area they were stranded in and the wildlife they encountered. In places I had to suspend my disbelief at some of the things that the tribe did, but I found I was happy to roll with it. At points I did wonder why they didn't take some obvious courses of action, but in for a penny...  and the fortunate appearance of particular people from outside the group helped make some of it slightly less hard to swallow.

There were some issues with rogue apostrophes and commas, and with the action moving around so much a change to the formatting to aid the reader would be nice, but otherwise I found it a quick, easy read. The book has some positive messages the reader can take away, it had me thinking and I put it down feeling that despite the issues I had with it I liked this book.

Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 3*

Book Review: Seranfyll by Christina Daley

I don't generally read a lot of books that are suitable for 10 years + , but when I saw the synopsis of this book with its suggestion that fans of Harry Potter would enjoy it (I love HP) I thought I should definitely give it a try.

13 year old Rain lives in the kingdom of Yoan and is a slave in the service of a good master, but one who has racked up serious debts. Her life looks like it's taking a turn for the worse when she is sold to a slave trader and separated from sister Snow. Locked up at a slave market she sits like a piece of meat for sale, but is then bought along with several other young slaves by a drunk and eccentric young lord with a reputation. The others fear him, having heard he rides a winged horse and is the devil, and flee from the manor after he grants them their freedom. However feeling sorry for him Rain stays. Only one other slave, Coal joins her, more to protect her from Lord Domrey Seranfyll than for any other reason. Life at the charmed manor is a revelation for the new inhabitants, but all the good is outweighed for Rain by the continued separation from her sister.

I thought it was a wonderful world the author had created, and up to about the age of thirteen Celestria would have been my idea of heaven. While the language used and events in the book are suitable for the younger end of the audience it didn't feel like it was dumbed down or patronising. As well as the obvious comparison to Harry Potter it also brought to mind Disney's Fantasia with it's enchanted brooms and buckets. It held definite appeal for me, but probably wouldn't be so much of a fit for those who like their fantasy a bit darker.

The three main characters are very different but all well written, and I hope it's not too wrong that I have a bit of a crush on Domrey! The menacing Lord Morgrav provides a dose of chilling nastiness and a good foil for Lord Seranfyll. I particularly liked the way the author has made Domrey  a supporter of the abolition of slavery, and worked that into the plot, and her note at the end got me thinking more about the issue in the wider context.

I found the book well paced, drawing me into the story quickly and other than a handful of typos there's not really anything negative for me to say about this wonderful charming (and charmed) book.

Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 5*

Book Review: Peter and the Vampires by Darren Pillsbury

This book is the first in the Peter and the Monsters series, and comprises four short stories or novellas: Peter and the Dead Men, Peter and the Vampires, Peter and the Changeling and Peter and the Swamp Monster.

Peter is ten and has just moved from California with his mum and 2 year old sister. He has been uprooted, torn away from his friends and made to move in with the grandfather he has never met. The house is huge and spooky sounding, with plenty of places off limits to Peter, including the basement which is not to be entered on pain of death! He quickly meets his new neighbour Dill, who thinks he's streetwise and savvy, and considered a bad influence by Peter's grandfather who doesn't want around him. The town they move to has some seriously weird things going on, as you can tell from the titles of each story within the book, and Peter's grandfather knows far more about what is going on than he lets on. As well as dealing with starting a new school and making new friends Peter ends up with plenty of other things on his mind, and dealing with all these incidents soon cements his friendship with Dill.

As well as the monster stories there are undercurrents based around the boys' family lives. From the start there is some mystery about what has happened between Peter's parents, and Dill's dysfunctional clan made me sympathise and feel more understanding towards him. There is also clearly more going on with Grandfather than is revealed in this book, and the hint of a curse is also present. There are two more books in the series, again divided into shorter stories, and I'll be interested to see where those threads go. What I really want to know is what is going on in the basement!

With the two main protagonists being just ten, and with the tone being scary and a bit disgusting without being too graphic I can see tweens enjoying these stories, but at 30 odd I found myself laughing in places, and picking up my reading pace as the stories reached a climax. The way the kids spoke, the things they worried about and the terms they used reminded me of being a kid again, and it was great!

This was a really fun read, and although it took me a minute to wrap my head around how the books within the book worked once I got it I thought it worked nicely. I also thought it was well formatted and proofed so was a well-presented end product. No doubt I'll be revewing Peter and the Werewolves and Peter and the Frankenstein in the future.

Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 4*

Book Review: Puttypaw by Tom North

Puttypaw is a young adult book aimed at the upper end of that age group, and tells the story of Toby. He's in his early teens, has just lost his mum, is now being brought up by his step-dad and isn't really coping. One night his recurring nightmare is interrupted by the arrival of a giant tabby cat - Puttypaw - looking for his mousey. Life starts to get very strange for Toby but the pair build a strong bond and they face challenges together that start to help Toby face what is going on in his life and deal with it.

This is a really bitter-sweet story, and the fantasy element stops a book which is dealing with some fairly heavy topics, the loss of a parent and bullying, becoming too dark and depressing. I found Toby very likeable and perhaps as an adult had more of a connection with his older step-siblings and step-dad than the target audience might and also found them plausible and sympathetic.

This book was one I found myself getting quite involved in, and I kept reading to find out how the night time visits by Puttypaw would help Toby and also to discover whether the cat was imaginary or not. It's well written, I thought some of the vocabulary used was brilliant (I love learning new words and I think it's great when a YA author isn't afraid to stretch their target audience) and I don't remember spotting any typos or having any issues with formatting.

Despite the subject matter I came away from this book feeling quite upbeat, and where I had started it thinking a book with a cat befriending a young man might head into the realms of warm, fuzzy and cutesy, and was curious about how it might work for the target audience it was darker than I expected and even as an adult I found it an enjoyable read. I think the upper end of the YA bracket would be right for it to be properly appreciated and for some of the content and themes. This is a book I'd love to share with my daughter when she is old enough.

Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 4*

Book Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

I reviewed the short story prequel to the Chaos Walking series back in January, after I picked The New World up as a freebie. As I enjoyed that I decided I'd take a look at the series and picked Book 1, The Knife of Never Letting Go, up from the library.

Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown, just a month away from turning 13 and becoming a man. Prentisstown is a place where there are no women, and everyone can hear exactly what everyone else is thinking because they live in a state of perpetual Noise. Todd is even able to talk with his dog. What Todd doesn't know is that, despite being able to hear their thoughts, the men of the town are keeping secrets from him. These secrets force him to go on the run to try and save his life and that of Viola, the first girl he has ever met.

I'm a bit old to be the young adult target audience but it is still a very good book. It throws up some interesting ideas, like what it would be like to live in a world where there was very little privacy, with every thought overheard by others. It's a fast paced book and it's very easy to warm to Todd and his faithful dog Manchee. There is a lot of suspense as the reader wonders why Todd is being hunted and what the great secrets are that unite the men of Prentisstown. Unlike The New World Viola takes more of a back seat, with the story told from Todd's viewpoint. The way it is written, with almost phonetic spellings and a very colloquial style, gives a real feel for this young man. The story ends with a massive revelation that is obviously going to lead perfectly into the next book in the series.

This looks like it is shaping up to be something of an epic, Todd and Viola travelling through foreign lands, encountering strange creatures like the Things and the Spackles, trying to battle evil, and I'm certainly planning on reading Book 2, The Ask and The Answer.

Format: Paperback, from the library
My Rating: 4*

Book Review: Few are Chosen by M T McGuire (The K'Barthan Trilogy)

I was offered this book for review and although YA fantasy isn't something I'd usually consider my thing I took a look at the reviews and seeing mentions of Harry Potter and Hitchhikers Guide, which I have read and seriously enjoyed, thought maybe I should give it a go.

The Pan of Hamgee has been blacklisted and on the run for years, quite a feat as others only manage it for a matter of months under the oppressive regime in K'Barth. Having eyes in the back of your head probably helps keep you out of the clutches of ruler Lord Vernon and the equally ruthless Resistance - that and a massive yellow streak. Without much choice in the matter he ends up as getaway driver for a criminal gang, a job he excels at. While life hasn't been comfortable for The Pan for a long time it starts to become more and more curious when his landladies and an old man start making oblique references to another resistance movement and he lays his hands on a mysterious thimble. The first part of the book sets up The Pan's life and current position, and the second part really introduces the mystery and magic.

This book creates a whole new universe with a range of species all of its own, those species having their own appearances and characteristics, all well described by the author. I'm always slightly concerned about fantasy novels, with whether I'll remember lots of strange names or lose the plot. In this case K'barth is about as close as it gets to a name with lots of Xs and Zs and no vowels, and some of the names are brilliantly comic so no problems on that count. It is well edited and I only spotted a couple of typos I'll pass on to the author.

The Pan is a lovely character, he is abundantly clear that he is a coward and has no grand illusions about himself, but people around him (and gradually the reader) see something special in him. Being so down on himself makes him all the more likeable. I really enjoyed the way his relationship with his scary Swamp Thing boss developed and the change in The Pan after he starts questioning things.

I would say this book is probably most suitable for tweens and younger teens but even in my early 30s I still really enjoyed the read. It is left on a real cliff-hanger and I definitely want to carry on  reading the series.

Format - Kindle
My Rating - 4*

Book review: The New World by Patrick Ness

First off, this is actually a short story which took me no time at all to devour. It came to my attention when it appeared on Amazon as a freebie (and in fact as I write is still free) The product description made it clear it's the prequel to a series but didn't hint that it's a sci-fi or a YA series.

I haven't really bought short stories and novellas in the past, maybe because in traditional tree book format I never really noticed them, but I'm trying to be more open and this is the second I've read this month. This story details Viola's trip to the New World, where she and her parents are meant to establish a new colony for themselves and other colonists who will join them later, who have only ever known life aboard spaceships. There are also flashbacks to the run up to their departure.

Being so short there isn't much time for a lot of character development but Viola is clearly a young teen who is more than a little scared at being one of the first to arrive on a planet, and who is fed up of everyone talking about hope. I expect for fans of the series who have already read the books they would be a lot more able to empathise with what she goes through.

I found that the story immediately grabbed me and I wanted to read on to find out what was going on and put the action into context. I am so glad I didn't know it was sci-fi YA material as I might have otherwise ignored it, but having made light work of it I was impressed by the quality of the writing and how it pulled me in. I may not get round to reading them any time soon but I'll certainly be looking for the series now.

Book Review: Jimmy Stone's Ghost Town by Scott Neumyer

I don't read a lot of YA fiction but since I got my kindle I have been trying to read a wider range of books. The author has been promoting the book on Amazon's kindle forums so I thought I would give it a try.

Jimmy Stone has been having a hard time of it, first his parents come home from the hospital without his soon to be baby sister, then his mum dies and his dad decides they should move and turns into a beer swilling couch potato. Jimmy has no friends, other than faithful dog Trex, until David befriends him to help him avoid the school bullies. The 3 of them, exploring woods behind Jimmy's house, end up in mysterious ghost town and discover that to return home they have to complete a series of tasks.

This is obviously setting up a series,  it is revealed Ghost Town is one of seven other realms outside our world. The first third of the book is primarily setting up Jimmy's back story and introducing him as the main protagonist. The next part introduces Ghost Town and the boys find out a bit about what is in store for them, and in the final third they carry out their first task.

I'm quite a bit older than the target audience and my daughter is only a toddler so I haven't got anyone of that sort of age to help me judge the book from the ideal viewpoint. For me Jimmy's hardships were covered for too long and repeated more than necessary, but I suspect for a younger reader it is setting up the idea that you can overcome any difficulties to become as strong person. There is still an element of mystery about what became of his soon to be sister and mum though, which I'm hoping will be revealed in future books. We do see Jimmy developing in the book, which I liked, especially becoming more assertive. David is more mysterious, I think he is meant to seem that way to Jimmy but I hope that in the next book the reader will find out more about his background. I would also like to know why Jimmy is the chosen one, although if this is indeed a series of 7 it's early days yet.

I thought the book was well written, it raised a few smiles and I imagine would have kids of the right age laughing. It must say something about the way it is written that despite it not being one of my usual genres I want to read the next one to find out more.