It pains my soul to have to give even a half way bad review of anyone's book, whether it's on my blog, amazon, or elsewhere.  But some things just can't be helped.  To all my authors out there:  PLEASE don't be vague in your novels, and don't leave too many loose ends.  Vagueness causes confusion.  Details are amazing!  It's what can really make a book shine!  Too many loose ends can create confusion too.  And it can cause people to lose interest easily.  Many of you are very good at keeping this to a minimum!  Keep up the good work!!  Those who aren't, keep trying!!  It will get there!!

The Runes Series (Runes- Book 1, Immortals- Book 2) by Ednah Walters

   Once upon a time there was a girl named Raine.  She was a normal, not real popular, high school student.  Until she met Torin St. James.  Torin was the dark and dangerous guy who moved in next door, not to mention the hottest guy that Raine had ever seen.  It doesn't take long for Raine to fall into some crazy lust after him, but some weird things start to happen.  Like how Torin talks about being able to do things because of magic.  Well Raine doesn't even believe in magic until she starts seeing the results from what could only have been magic.  Then her world takes a very dramatic turn.
   Eirik and Cora are Raine's best friends.  They are brutally frank and Eirik ad Raine have had a crush on each other for a while now.  Although Raine has feelings for a certain someone else, she begins dating Eirik.  At the same time she is also dealing with the possible loss of her father.  He was in a plane crash months before, but his body had not been found.  Raine's mother is convinced he is still alive, but Raine isn't so sure anymore.
   And then bad things start happening.  She finds out the truth about her new neighbor.  He and some of the other new teenagers in town are all Valkyries.  They shepherd souls to the next life and use runes for things like super speed and healing.  It's almost impossible to kill them.  But then again, why would she want to when she was falling all over one of them?  It seemed like all of the Valkyries had the other teens her age all over them.  They were beautiful and magnetic.  But she and Torin share a closer bond than normal.
   And then there's Maliina.  She has a serious dislike for Raine after her man, Andris, decided to flirt a little with her.  Bad idea.  It turns Maliina crazy.  And a crazy Valkyrie is a dangerous one.  Now she must try to stay alive, which is turning out to be pretty hard to do.  Torin is the only one who can and will save her.


  Book two has many all new types of threats and a very confused Torin.  The awful Norns that Raine had to contend with in the last book completely wiped part of his memory.  The part with her in it.  So it feels like he has just moved in again next door and has no idea who she is.  She is totally devastated.  But Raine isn't so easily daunted and intends on making him remember no matter what she has to do.
   Eirik is not who anyone thought.  He is a very important person (who I will not identify in this review).  But he has a dark side that is threatening everything and everyone around him.  The Norns (which are the ones that guide the destinies of people) warn Raine about him.  But he is her best friend and she is willing to go through whatever she must to save him while trying to do the same with Torin.
   As if this isn't enough, Raine isn't who she seems either.  Her true nature comes out at the end and it is not what you will be expecting!  I never saw it coming!



   Secrets, lies, love and lust, hate, runic magic, a little Norse mythology, and death (lots of death).  Yes these two books have it all.  You've got the hormonal teenager side to contend with but it doesn't get too hot and heavy in the books.  Raine's family is just full of secrets, some of which were painful to her.  And things with her friends are ever changing.  They will always be her best friends, but it seems like she is always off trying to save someone, including them.
   And all the while, Torin is in the background watching.  His rule of never getting involved with a mortal is completely shot to pieces when Raine comes into the picture.  She is what he has been missing for so long and even after his memory has been messed with, he still feels it.  I hate how much they torture each other before they finally decide to just go with it and be together.  But that is part of what makes it good.  Torin goes through great lengths to keep her from becoming like him.  But as you see by half way through the second book, that was useless.  Raine is going to get her way.  So she's a little pushy.  The girl just knows what she wants.




*images via Ednah Walters

Secret Doors: The Challenge by Brian D. Meeks

   Abby is an orphan.  She was adopted by the Drapers two years ago after a horrible fire took away all of the family that she had.  The Drapers had swooped in and given her a new home immediately, but she never felt like it was her home.  Shunned by Mrs. Draper because of her red hair, and picked on by Trent and Trevor (the Draper twins), she now spends her days as a "guest" in their home.  And it is made painfully obvious to her that she is not really wanted.
   Stevie is also an orphan.  He and Abby meet and become best friends.  Stevie lives in an orphanage.  They are both drawn together because of their similar situations.
   Both Abby and Stevie embark on a journey into the world of secret doors and challenges.  A world where Alphie, a friend in this new realm, is an owl and a man.  They are grouped together with a few other kids around their age and begin a challenge that neither of them really seem to understand.  But seeing that this is better than going back to their homes, they decide to go through with it.  What they find is more friendship, leadership, and becoming more of who they were meant to be.  But first, they must make it out of the challenge alive.  Because someone is sabotaging it.

   A great little novel that I would be comfortable letting younger kids read!  It is a very clean book, but still has the excitement of adventure.  It will definitely appeal to the younger readers!  Secret Doors is more than just an adventure, it's about the process of growing up as well, of getting the courage to go through all types of perils.  Great read!

Exalted by Tara Elizabeth

   Imagine a world you lived in where there are no emotions.  And everyone around you is like that.  No one smiles.  No one laughs.  The single most thought in your head being that you should be strong and defend The United Republic Of The Saved...

 This is the world of Mena.  Every day is the same.  Always training, always eating the same thing, sitting with the same people at lunch, and the single most dominating conversation piece always being The Republic.  But Mena knows no better.  She grew up in The Republic.  It has been her mindset since she was a small child.  She was an Exalted, a protector of The Republic.
   Long ago an apocalypse had happened, and the world was now a different place.  There had not been many survivors afterward, but those that did banded together.  They built a new colony.  And out of that rose those that were different than the rest.

    They were strong, fast, and fearless.  They were gods.

So it was that the Exalted, as they were called, were defenders of this new colony.  There were mere Citizens who needed the protection, as well as the Ambassadors. The Ambassadors were the ones in charge.  The strange thing was that the Citizens and the Ambassadors had emotions.  Mena starts to notice how their faces change, how they have tears that fall sometimes.  This is not a world she knows anything of, but she pays close attention.  Meanwhile, everyone is getting ready for the Trials.  The Exalted go through tests of strength and agility and are paired up to be United forever based upon their scores of these trials.  There is no falling in love.  It is purely to breed to have more like them.  The only problem is that although Mena doesn't feel love, she does not want to be paired with just anyone.  Her first choice would be her friend Ethan.
   Before the Trials begin, she meets an outsider by the name of Ryker.  He tells her that the purple pill they take every day, called the Pump, is causing her to have no emotions.  So she gets off of the Pump to see if he is right.  She wants to be stronger for the Trials.  She wants to be number one.  Sickness overtakes her for days.  Then she starts experiencing things like she never did.  And unfortunately that involves feelings for both Ethan and for Ryker, which confuses Mena because she has never been in love and doesn't really understand it.  And now that Mena knows what it feels like being off the Pump, things are changing for her, and she has decisions to make that she has never had in the past.  Choices.  A brand new concept..


   This book sucked me in!  It is a whole new concept to me reading, a novel about such a cult-like group of people.  They all have no idea what is really going on, and even though you don't see very much of that in this book, you get the feeling there is some really weird mess going on behind closed doors.  The Exalted are basically being controlled by the Pump and the Ambassadors.  Children go to live in dorms at the age of 5 and start taking the Pump.  Afterwards, all they want to do is be the best fighter and protect their Republic.  It is brainwashing 101.  This has gone on so long that no one blinks an eye when all of this stuff happens.  If someone dies in the Trials, which sometimes happens, they are deemed as having been weak and their name is no longer spoken.
   I, myself, cannot imagine a world without laughing, smiling, and love.  Even not having grief or anger would run a person mad if they knew it existed and knew what it felt like, but couldn't have it.  Perhaps that is why none of them care about these emotions.  They grew up just like this.  And everyone around them was the same way.  Crazy!  But a total cliff hanger at the end!  Can't wait for the next book! (which should be coming out pretty soon)

                                                      http://authortaraelizabeth.com/


*image via Tara Elizabeth
*quote via Tara Elizabeth

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