Review: The Indigo Spell

Sydney is all grown up

It appears the Alchemists are hiding crucial information from their members. Sydney would never dream of going against her kind, but when this information threatens to place Jill in danger, all bets are off. Not only does she become a spy for Marcus, but she also turns to Magik as a form of defense. Now that she is changing her beliefs, will Sydney finally admit her love for Adrian?

Although I loved seeing this new Sydney, strong and filled with confidence (other than in intellectual matters), the majority of the book was slow paced. From her taking lessons to running errands, Sydney just wouldn't stop working. Then every time she would get some time off, the environment was tense(sexual tension between her and Adrian, and group tension between her friends). Also the climax was solved way too easily.

Not my favorite of the series.

Bloodlines (Book One)

The Golden Lily (Book Two)

Review: Wolf by Wolf

"She-wolf. An interesting choice."
"I didn't choose it," she told him. "It chose me."

Back in 1944, Yael was selected for an experiment in a Nazi camp. She received hundreds of injections to turn her into a perfect Aryan girl, and erase whatever Jewish traits she might have. The experiment left her physically transformed. But the memories of the camp and the loss of everyone she held dear left her traumatized. The only thing she could do after such tragic events was kill the Fuhrer.

Graudin did an incredible job at mixing both the past and the present (from 1944 to 1954). Yael might not make the sweetest decisions -- from kidnapping and usurping Adele Wolfe, a famous athlete, to putting Wolfe's family at risk -- just to join a race around the world and get closer to Hitler. But Yael remains nonetheless a brave female character. The other members of the race were well balanced. And a semi-love-triangle was formed. 

Prepare for a twist at the end.

Don't miss The Walled City also by Ryan Graudin 

Review: Black Ice

Love can be as dangerous as black ice. One false illusion that everything is safe and boom, next thing you know, you can't even remember who you are anymore. 

David lost his virginity to Kris, a loner who refuses to see him as anything other than a friend with benefits. He tries courting her with dates, including a weekend at a chalet, but Kris remains unmoved. So David turns to his pals, booze and drugs (just like after his parents divorce) and sets forward some crazy set of events. Can he rescue Kris from her haunting past? Is he willing to kill for her?

Author Stephen Tesher twisted this new-adult contemporary novel into a thriller about a love gone wrong. Although, it was impossible to identify with David's rising anger or some turns of events, the dialogue kept the story flowing. It was realistic; harsh at times when David and his friends talked about girls. 

I'm glad the author ended the story with a lesson. Not all relationships can have fairy tale endings.

Review: I Crawl through it

Far more surrealistic than Alice in Wonderland

Gustav flies an invisible helicopter. Stanzi has a split personality. China's inside out. And Lansdale is a hairy female lie detector version of Pinocchio. Together, they are a time bomb waiting to erupt. It's just a matter of time.

Although, I'm no expert in magical surrealism, I am reader. A curious one! Who was waiting for an Ah-ha moment through all this chaos (like in We Were Liars). But instead, this book just concentrates on adult/teenager relationships. Gustav's dad doesn't care if his son vanishes, Stanzi's parents mourn everyone else's child but their own, Lansdale's dad could care less about how outrageous her behavior is and China lives with active BDSM parents that clean their sex toys in the sink. These issues are bound together by loose treads and odd characters (man in the bush, newsman...)that take away from the story even more.

Read at your own puzzling risk.

Cover Reveal: Convergence

A FUN THRILLER FANTASY FOR LOVERS OF MIDDLE-GRADE FICTION!

It was the first day of school and anxieties were running high. For certain​ ​there was the excitement of moving up a grade, but there was also the dread of anything and everything that could go wrong. Not only were the possibilities endless, they were totally out of your control. Whether or not you were accepted rested squarely on the shoulders of the popular kids. Suppose you were too short or too tall; too smart or not smart enough; too rich or too poor; or just plain different?

These thoughts were fresh on the minds of Otis, Chandler and Marissa. Three pre-teens whose paths had never crossed, although they lived in the same town in Connecticut. Their backgrounds were so diverse they may as well have lived worlds apart. That was all about to change when on their way to school a series of bizarre events lump them together. Literally!

Born and raised in Connecticut, Hayes still calls the Nutmeg State home. The oldest of two children, she remains close to her siblings. When Hayes is not writing or managing her business, she dedicates her time to other creative outlets and artistic pursuits. Feel free to follow Hayes via her Website and Twitter.