Review: Insight Kindling (The Call to Search Everywhen #2) by Chess Desalls

Title: Insight Kindling
Author: Chess Desalls
Series: The Call to Search Everywhen
Genre: Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Publisher: Czidor Lore, LLC
Publication date: January 13th 2015
Pages: 218 (kindle)
Source: received from author






Call faces charges against her for changing the past. Her use of the Travel Glasses resulted in the creation of two writings that affected the lives of Edgar, the inventor of the Travel Glasses, and Valcas, their prior owner. Now Calla must explain her actions before the Time and Space Travel Agency.

The hearing does not end well. The travel commissioner finds Calla guilty as charged and forces her to choose between two harsh penalties. Despite the risk of becoming lost herself, Calla accepts a dangerous travel mission that may help her find her father. She teams up with a group of talented travelers. While working with them, she soon discovers that she has a special travel talent of her own.

Pursued by he sentient being of white light that's been tracking her father's bloodline, Calla fears her newfound talents may not be enough to protect her and her teammates before they complete their mission.

Insight Kindling is the second installment in The Call to Search Everywhen serial series. 

Goodreads

Insight Kindling starts off right where Travel Glasses left off. I always love it when authors do that, otherwise I just keep wondering what has happened in the time between. And it was also perfect for this series because so much was going on at the end of the first book.

The story of this series is original; I do not think I have ever read anything like this before. A lot of things that were a bit unclear in the first book become so much clearer now. The first book focused a lot on world building and Calla coming to terms with her new life. Now that she accepted all that was going on she could grow so much more as a character. I really liked the direction she was going into. She showed that she would take responsibility for her actions and that she would do what had to be done. But then by the end she made some poor decisions again. But what annoyed me the most was the mood swings she had towards Valcas. It seems to be a recurring aspect in many YA novels and I honestly do not know why. Insight Kindling was more focused on the romance between the characters than the previous books and I believe that the book would have been fine without it. There is so much going on that I feel like the romance aspect was not really necessary.

Valcas really grew on me during this book. I was not a big fan of him during the first novel but he finally showed his good side and I really appreciated that. And I enjoyed getting an insight in his POV. All the new characters that were introduced in this book were very likeable. And I am looking forward to see them again in the next book.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book; I really enjoy all the action that is mixed with the time travel aspect. This series is unique and original in its own way. If you are looking for a series about time travel then I would definitely recommend this series to you. Personally I am looking forward to the next book in this series. 

El

Book Blitz: Star Crossed: Worlds Apart by Jolene Poole

Title: Star Crossed: Worlds Apart
Author: Jolene Poole
Genre: Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Publisher: Tenth Street Press
Publication date: December 19th 2013
Pages: 202 (ebook)
Buy links: Amazon | B&N






Gwyn Farrow's disturbing claims of an alien abduction made her parents commit her to a mental institution. When she was released, she knew that she could only rely on herself. But she doesn't return to her normal life. She begins to spend time with a friendly alien named Kael, and although terrified of his species, she finds it in her heart to care for him.
When his world declares war on hers, she is torn between defending her planet and the alien she has come to love.

Goodreads

Excerpt 

She could hear them creeping down the hall. They were making their way to her room. She would have screamed, but she was too afraid to move. Who were they coming for tonight? Her? Her siblings? Her parents? What did they want?

     As her door opened and she started to scream, figures that seemed nothing more than blurs were grabbing at her, dragging her from her bedroom.
    They were moving too fast for her to fully comprehend what they were. . .
    Suddenly, there were flashing lights. Bright white lights shining on her. She had been stripped of most of her clothing and was strapped to a cold stainless steel table.

    She could hear the whizzing and buzzing of things around her, though she couldn't see anything yet. Then there were people around her. Some of them looked human and others had a bluish-silver tint to their skin. Before she had the chance to concentrate on their faces, they were cutting into her.

About the author

 Jolene was born and raised (with the exception of a few years in Canada) in Michigan. She’s had a notebook in her hand since she was old enough to write. Becoming a published author has always been a dream of hers. Casting Stones was the first of three books to be published (under her pen name – Laurencia Hoffman). Her second publication is called Star Crossed: Worlds Apart, and her third publication is called Bittersweet (also published under Laurencia Hoffman). Writing takes up most of her time and will always be a part of her life, but she also has her own line of natural products, and she works with her mother in their floral preservation business.
Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads 

El

Review: The Lovers (Virtual Arcana #6) by Karen Amanda Hooper

Title: The Lovers
Author: Karen Amanda Hooper
Series: Virtual Arcana
Genre: Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Publication date: April 25th 2015
Pages: 54 (ebook)
Source: received from author
Goodreads

This book was a perfect ending to the first season of this new book series by Karen Amanda Hooper. The entire time I was so confused by everything that was going on and I was afraid that I would be left with so many questions by the end of this season. But everything was made clear by the end of it and I loved it! I would never have guessed what was going on by myself and now that I know everything makes so much more sense to me. Honestly I do not know why I did not figure it out sooner, there were a lot of things that I could have picked up from the previous books…

I loved that we got to know so much more about Kelsey’s character in this book. This book shed a whole new light on her and I have got to say I only love her more now. This book just shed a completely new light on most of the characters. My mind is just blown away with this book. I cannot describe it in any other way.

But what surprised me the most was that there is a connection to the Kindrily series by Karen Amanda Hooper. I could never have seen that coming and I want to see how both of them are connected. The Kindrily series is one of my favorite series so I am so excited to see what is going to happen!

The books in this series are so cleverly written, they will make your head spin with all kinds of theories. And you will keep thinking about it because you want to know what exactly is going on. I would highly recommend this series to everyone. I cannot wait until the second season comes out. 

El

Review: Undertow (Undertow #1) by Michael Buckley

Title: Undertow
Author: Michael Buckley
Series: Undertow
Genre: Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication date: May 5th 2015
Pages: 384 (hardcover)
Source: Netgalley





Sixteen-year-old Lyric Walker's life is forever changed when she witnesses the arrival of 30,000 Alpha, a five-nation race of ocean-dwelling warriors, on her beach in Coney Island. The world's initial wonder, and awe over the Alpha quickly turns ugly and paranoid and violent, and Lyric's small town transforms into a military zone with humans on one side and Alpha on the other. When Lyric is recruited to help the crown prince, a boy named Fathom, assimilate, she begins to fall for him. But their love is a dangerous one, and there are forces on both sides working to keep them apart. Only, what if the Alpha are not actually the enemy? What if they are in fact humanity's only hope of survival? Because the real enemy is coming. And it's more terrifying than anything the world has ever seen.

Action, suspense, and romance whirlpool dangerously in this cinematic saga, a blend of Distric 9 and The Outsiders.

Goodreads

This book started off really strong and I thought that this was going to be a really good book. Unfortunately the book could not fulfill all his expectations for me. My interest in this book just fell because of the unbelievable romance and the lack of action at times.

The concept of Undertow is really intriguing and the overall storyline was good as well.  We can never know what leaves on every single place on earth. For all we know there might be other species living on this earth without us knowing. So the might as well live in the ocean. In Undertow a species from the bottom of the ocean, known as the Alpha’s, have invaded the shores of Coney Island. Most humans are not so happy with their arrival and if they had their way they would throw them back in the ocean like they do with fish. Tension is not only building between humans and Alpha’s but also between humans and humans and between Alpha’s and Alpha’s. It is only a matter of time before everything will explode.

Lyric Walker, a sixteen-year-old native of Coney Island, sees everything happen from the frontlines. Her whole world got turned upside down the day the Alpha arrived on the shorelines. Everything she once thought was true was a lie. Now she has to lie to the ones she loves to protect them. So being forced to hang out with the Alpha prince does not make her life any easier. I felt like the romance between Fathom and Lyric was underdeveloped. They only met a couple of times and most of the time they spend together they were upset with each other. So I did not understand were all these feelings for each other suddenly came from. It all came across as a bit unbelievable.

The description of the culture of the Alphas with their hierarchy systems, rules and rules was truly captivating. And I wished that the author had invested more in exploring this all. Now I felt left in the dark at times. I was left with so many questions after finishing this book. I can only hope that we get to learn more about the Alpha’s in the following books. Also I felt like the author left a lot of other things unexplained as well. He touched on a subject briefly and then never spoke of it again. I just kept wondering what had happened or what was going on. And I do not like that feeling at all.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It has a really interesting concept and the storyline was good. But I just have a feeling that it could have been worked out better in many different aspects. Still I am captured enough by Undertow to want to know what is going to happen next.

El

Review: Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas

Title: Because You'll Never Meet Me
Author: Leah Thomas
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
Publication date: July 2nd 2015
Pages: 344
Source: Netgalley






In a stunning literary debut, two boys on opposite ends of the world begin an unlikely frienship that will change their lives forever.

Ollie and Moritz are best friends, but they can never meet. Ollie is allergic to electricity. Contact with it causes debilitating seizures. Moritz's weak heart is kept pumping by an electronic pacemaker. If they ever did meet, Ollie would seize. But Moritz would die without his pacemaker. Both hermits from society, the boys develop a fierce bond through letters that become a lifeline during dark times as Ollie loses his only friend, Liz, to the normalcy of high school and Moritz deals with a bully set out on destroying him.

A story of impossible friendship and hope under strange circumstances, this debut is powerful, dark and humorous in equal measure. These extraordinary voices bring readers into the hearts and minds of two special boys who, like many teens, are just waiting for their moment to shine.

Goodreads

Because You’ll Never Meet Me grabbed my attention because it dealt with a weird topic. Ollie has a rare allergy. He has violent reactions to anything electricity. Because of this he lives in a remote cabin with only his mother. Moritz relies on his pacemaker to keep alive. Because of this the two of them will never be able to meet. Against all odds they become close friends through their brief correspondence. Together they learn more about themselves, about the world and about one another.

Because You’ll Never Meet Me was a very sweet book. It’s a book about friendship and forgiveness. 

Both Ollie’s and Moritz’ their lives are limited because of their conditions. At first it might have 
seemed like that the two boys had almost nothing in common. One of them was the happy one, while the other only saw the negative in all things. But nothing is as it seems. They both blossom into two young men when their correspondence continues.

The book was interesting since it is told through the letters Ollie and Moritz exchanged. I really appreciated that the other gave the two characters very distinct voices. Moritz is the unhappy German boy, who thinks that nothing in his life is worth it. Ollie on the other end is the American boy who lives isolated in the woods. He has been missing out on a lot things his entire life but he does not seem to mind the simplicity of his life. Yet when they strike up their correspondence they find out that there is so much more about the other one that one might see at first. They learn how to let go of the past and how to embrace the future.

What I did not expect when I started this book was that the book would take a slightly sci-fi turn. I was not prepared for this at all and I am still not too sure what I have to think of it. I believe that I would have liked this book a lot more if the book had been more “normal”. The lab and the kids that came from it were a bit over the top for me at times. I had a hard time imagining it all while the rest of the book felt so normal. Because besides this the book also deals with real life problems that I lot of teenagers have to deal with like bullying and first time love.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. But at time the pace of it was a bit too slow for me and not enough happened in it to keep me on the edge of my seat the entire time. And like I mentioned before the abnormalities in this book were a bit too much for me at times. But I am sure that there are many other readers out there who will enjoy this book immensely.  

El

Review: The Hierophant (Virtual Arcana #5) by Karen Amanda Hooper

Title: The Hierophant
Author: Karen Amanda Hooper
Series: Virtual Arcana
Genre: Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Publication date: March 15th 2015
Pages: 57 (kindle)
Source: received from author
Goodreads

Every time that I read an episode in the Virtual Arcana series my mind is blown away. I am always left wanting more. More answers to my questions, more of Kelsey and Xander, you know just more of everything.

Most of the time during this series I have been confused, unsure of what exactly was going on. At the beginning of this book I felt the same way. I had no idea what was real and what was not. But since Kelsey was out to find answers we also got answers. Bit by bit I realized that I was getting better at seeing what was real and what virtual reality was. Still I am missing some essential pieces to figure it all out. Hopefully I will fully understand it at the end of the next episode.

The Hierophant might be a short read but it’s a great one. It’s packed with action and suspense. There were a lot of twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat. Every episode feels like we get some puzzle pieces and let me tell you it’s a hard puzzle to make. I can’t wait to get my hands on the last episode. 

El

Review: Storm Fall (Rebel Wing #2) by Tracy Banghart

Title: Storm Fall
Author: Tracy Banghart
Series: Rebel Wing
Genre: Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Publisher: Alloy Entertainment
Publication date: December 16th 2014
Pages: 230 (Kindle)






In the action-packed sequel to Rebel Wing, Aris battles for life and love... and not everyone will survive. 

Aris Haan gave up everything to join the Atalantan Military: her family, her boyfriend, even her identity. In the end, though, it didn't matter that she was a war hero. When the all-male Military discovered that she was actually a woman, she was sent home and erased from history.

Now she has a chance to go back to the battlefield - as herself. But as hard as it was to be a soldier in disguise, it's even more difficult now. The men in her unit undermine her at every turn. The Safaran army has spies everywhere, perhaps even on Aris's stationpoint. And she's falling for her mysterious superior officer, Milek. But their relationship is forbidden, just stolen moments between training sessions and missions. There's no room for love in war.

Then Aris discovers that Safara's leaders have set their sights on her, Atalanta's hero. And she must find them before they find her...

Goodreads

Storm Fall picks up two months after Rebel Wing ended. Aris is struggling to fit back into her old life. She isn’t sure she still wants it. So when it is announced that women can now freely serve in the army of Atalanta she is ready to joint them again. That is as soon as she overcomes her fear of flying. But not everyone is happy about the openly return of women to the army. Men believe that they are not fit for fighting and who think they should have safe jobs and take care of their kids. But Aris and her friends will show them that they are not weak and that they might even be better soldiers than most of the men.

Storm Fall tells the story of Aris, Dysis and Galena. There stories were each unique in their own way. There was some romance in this book but it didn’t dominate the plotline. The book was more about friendship and a lot of action. This mix of elements is what makes this book so great. It book kept surprising me and it didn’t stop to amaze me.

Aris is an amazing character. She doesn’t need anyone to keep her safe and to take care of her. But she also allows people into her life and she has no problem to accept their help. And that’s one of the things I love so much about this book. In a lot of cases the heroine is either a damsel in distress who needs constant saving. Or she is a badass who won’t let anyone help her even if she needs the help. Galena is another strong women. People look at her for all the wrong reasons. She was tortured but she survived. And she’s sure to not let it determine the rest of her live. I really liked her she’s such a tough women. Then there is Dysis. Like Aris she’s a women in the military. But people know not to play with her. Because if they do they will lose. But underneath her tough exterior she has a soft heart and she will do everything in her power to protect the people she cares about. These three women are such an inspiration for everyone. And I believe that they should be taken as an example of how women should be portrayed more often in books.  

This book is fast paced, packed full with action and girl power. It was impossible for me to put this book down. I just couldn’t do it. I had to know what would happen to all these characters so I just kept reading till I finished it. And now I can’t wait till the third book in this series is released. I highly recommend this book to anyone. Seriously this series should be popular by now.

Favorite quote:

Milek turned toward her, searching for her face in the shadows. “You stay here. As soon as I’ve got Elom, I’ll come back for you.”
She laughed. “No chance.”
To his credit, he didn’t bother arguing. “It was worth a try.”
With another fast, hard kiss they crept together into the sunlight.

El

Review: The Emperor (Virtual Arcana #4) by Karen Amanda Hooper

Title: The Emperor
Author: Karen Amanda Hooper
Series: Virtual Arcana
Genre: Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Publication date: February 15th 2015
Pages: 58 (ebook)
Source: Received from author







No short description

Goodreads

The Emperor was crazy. It really messed with my head but I am loving it!

To me each it feels like each novella is crazier than the other one. Every time I think that things will get clear now. But at the end of the novella I am even more confused than before. I have long ago lost track of what is real and what is not. I cannot say more because otherwise I would need to give spoilers and I really do not want to do that.

Kelsey remains as confused as ever. And she really gets annoyed with her ignorance, no one ever gives her full and complete answers. She has to figure out herself what are dreams or virtual reality and what is real. Kelsey starts to have moments that she isn’t sure of anything of anyone anymore. She wakes up in places she doesn’t remember getting to, people don’t seem to be who they told they are. Her timeline is muddled and she has no idea what to think of her life anymore. And that exactly how the reader experiences it. Xander was different in this novella. He finally seemed ready to explain things to Kelsey and he took control of everything.

These novellas are always hard to review. Everything is so complicated, it’s hard to explain everything. Really you just have to read this series yourself to figure it all out.

El

Review: Rebel Wing (Rebel Wing #1) by Tracey Banghart

Title: Rebel Wing
Author: Tracey Banghart
Series: Rebel Wing 
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Alloy-entertainment
Publication date: July 29th 2014
Pages: 372 (Kindle)
Source: Netgalley






The Dominion of Atalanta is at war. But for eighteen-year-old Aris, the fighting is nothing more than a distant nightmare, something she watches on news vids from the safety of her idyllic seaside town. Then her boyfriend, Calix, is drafted into the Military, and the nightmare becomes a dangerous reality.

Left behind, Aris has nothing to fill her days. Even flying her wingjet - the thing she loves most, aside from Calix - feels meaningless without him by her side. So when she's recruited to be a pilot for an elite search-and-rescue unit, she leaps at the chance, hoping she'll be stationed near Calix. But there's a catch: she must disguise herself as a man named Aristos. There are no women in the Atalantan Military, and there never will be. 

Aris gives up everything to find Calix: her home. Her family. Even her identity. But as the war rages on, Aris discovers she's fighting for much more than her relationship. With each injured person she rescues and each violent battle she survives, Aris is becoming a true soldier - and the best flyer in the Atalantan Military. She's determined to save her Dominion... or die trying.

Goodreads

Rebel Wing is one of the books I have read so far this year. It captured my attention right from the very first page until the end. This book is truly amazing.

Aris her life had always been comfortable. She had her boyfriend, Calix, her friends, her family and her wing jet to fly. But when Calix is drafted into the military her life is turned upside down. This wasn’t the plan, they were supposed to promise and now she can’t be sure that she will ever see him again. In order to be with him she makes an impulsive decision to join the military herself disguised as a man since women are not allowed in the military. Soon she finds out that she is fighting for more than her relationship with Calix.

Aris is a great character. And I really loved her. At the beginning at the books she was naïve and a damsel in distress. Everyone always hovered around her and took care of her because she had a limp. When she decided to join the military she did if for all the wrong reasons. She only did it to find her boyfriend while she should have done it because she wanted to save lives. But she developed so much true this story. She grew stronger both physically and mentally. Aris blossomed into a wonderful woman. And the reason why she fought harder than anyone else was the right one, she realized what kind of good she could do when she fought in this war and saved people there live. Aris turned into a person with commitment, courage and loyalty.  

Parallel with Aris her story there is also the story of Ward Vadim, the Warden of Ruslana, and Ward Nikos, the Warden of Atalanta. Ward Nikos is trying everything he can to ward of the Safaran troops in his dominion. But he knows that he is failing, so every help he can get is more than welcome. But when Ward Vadim is taken ill his greatest ally disappears. The thing is Ward Vadim hasn’t taken ill but is being held captive. She doesn’t know where she is or why she is being held captive. I really liked all the suspense surrounding these parts of the books. You couldn’t help wondering why her kidnappers went through so much trouble and who is behind it all. In the end everything became clear and I have to say that I was taken a bit by surprise, which is a good thing.  

I love this book so much. Really I can’t believe why this book has such a few ratings, it’s a brilliant story. Rebel Wing is a mix of different things, there is of course a lot of action but there is also time for friendship and even a bit of romance. The romance wasn’t the main focus of the novel and I really loved that. Tracy Banghart here writing style is really fluid and I once I started reading this book I wasn’t able to put it down. After I finished this book I immediately went ahead and got the second book because I couldn’t wait to find out how the story continued. This hadn’t happened in a really long time so it’s another indicator of how amazing this book is. I would highly recommend this book to everyone! 

El

Review: The Empress (Virtual Arcana #3) by Karen Amanda Hooper

Title: The Empress
Author: Karen Amanda Hooper
Series: Virtual Arcana
Publisher: Starry Sky Publishing
Publication date: January 15th 2015
Pages: 54
Source: received from author 







Kelsey Zellar would never intentionally endanger her family, but when her mother appears on the Empress card, Kelsey worries her involvement with the Arcana has led the Zellars down a perilous path. 

Xander helps Kelsey change direction and continues to protect her from the government, gaining her trust and strengthening their connection, but Xander can't protect her from everything, and altering a path leads to severe consequences.

Goodreads

I am always excited for the next episode in the Virtual Arcana series. And after the last episode, The High Priestess, I was even more excited. The ending of the last episode was so stunning that I couldn’t wait to find out what exactly going on.

This episode was less centered on Equation and the virtual arcana but more on the different characters. In this episode we finally get to know Xander better. He’s still a mystery but bits of him were revealed and I really liked that. I also really loved how he and Kelsey interacted in this episode. They were so cute together and so sassy.

But the virtual reality aspect of the book keeps getting more complicated in every episode. And while I love it, it is also hard to wrap my mind around at times. Maybe it will all make more sense after all the episodes are released, at least I will make more sense by then. Also I really like on a journey together with Kelsey. She’s also still very confused by the virtual arcana and everything that surrounds it. We both still have to learn a lot about it.

The world of Equatia is getting more and more interesting. The more I know about the government the more I hate them. But I’m also really curious about it. Because how can they so easily control everything? And who is the big mastermind after it all? Because there has to be one, a world like this couldn’t exist without a genius.  I’m looking forward to learn more about it all.

I can’t wait till the next episode comes out, I hope that it won’t take too long because I’m really addicted to this series. And I’m really looking forward to find out what will happen next and how Kelsey’s and Xander’s story will develop further. 

El

Review: Travel Glasses (The Call to Search Everywhen #1) by Chess Dale

Title: Travel Glasses
Author: Chess Dale
Series: The Call to Search Everywhen
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Publisher: Czidor Lore, LLC
Publication date: May 7th 2014
Pages: 232 (ebook)
Source: received from author (Thank you!!)





When an ethereal being knocks Calla to the ground near her family's lakeside cottage, Valcas helps her to escape by traveling to another place and time. At first, Calla is as intrigued by the otherworldly Valcas as she is by his method of time travel: an altered pair of sunglasses that enable the wearer to search for anyone or anywhere in the past, present or future. That is until she suspects that his search for her was no mere coincidence.

With her trust broken, Calla sets off on her own, taking the Travel Glasses with her. Torn between searching for her estranged father and reuniting with the rest of her family, she tracks down the inventor of the Travel Glasses in hopes of discovering more about Valcas' past and motivations. Wit Valcas hot on her trail, Calla hopes to find what she's looking for before he catches up.

The Call to Search Everywhen is a serial series of novel-length installments.

Goodreads

Travel Glasses tells the story of Calla. Calla has always had an extraordinary life, she lives in a cottage with her uncle. She doesn’t know where her mother is and never met her father. Her only friends are book characters since time proved over and over again that real people are not to be trusted. But then she runs into a stranger at a lake, Valcas is different than anyone she has ever met. Soon Call finds out that Valcas is a time traveler and that there is a reason that she run into him. But the question is who is Valcas and what does he want from her?

I really enjoyed reading this book but it took me a while to get into it. The first part of the book wasn’t that eventful. Mostly it explained a lot about time travelling and Calla’s past life. At first Calla made some strange choices. She followed Valcas without questioning him and she trusted him completely, that is until he started to act really strange. Only then she started to reflect on everything that had happened to her and on what she should do next.

The story of the travel glasses was really original. I had never read anything like it before. It might sound strange, time travelling with glasses, but the author made it believable. There were times when we got a lot of information at once that I was a little confused and had to think a little before I really got how it all worked. But overall the story was easy to follow.

Meeting all the different characters, Edgar, Enta, Valcas… was really interesting. Valcas was probably the most interesting character. Especially since he had a past and present version of himself. The present version came across as kind of strange and crazy. But then we got to meet his past version and I understood why he was like that in the present. We got to know his motives for his obsession for Calla and why he kept following her. In fact what he was doing was great!

Overall I really liked the story. It started off a bit slow and strange. But the more I read the more I got pulled into the story. Travel Glasses is a great book for fans of time travel. I’m looking forward for the second book in this series. 

El

Review: The High Priestess (Virtual Arcana #2) by Karen Amanda Hooper

Title: The High Priestess
Author: Karen Amanda Hooper
Series: Virtual Arcana
Genre: Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Publication date: December 15th 2014
Pages: 57 (epub)
Source: received from author (Thank you so much!!)







As Kelsey delves deeper into the illegal world of virtual reality, her understanding of the Arcana expands and her feelings for Xander evolve.

When Xander's tarot cards fail to give her clarity, Kelsey's training commences. But mystical meetings and storybook scenarios provide her with answers that only trigger more questions.

Goodreads

The great thing about this books being published in serial style is that it always picks up where it left off and that you still clearly remember what has happened in the previous episode. We were left with the question whether Kelsey should override the government or comply with it. We finally got some answers in this episode, or did we? My mind was constantly spinning, when I believed something to be real it wasn’t and when I didn’t well than it might have been real.

Some of the answers might be revealed but for every answer there are two more questions. Karen 

Amanda Hooper is like Kelsey would say “good at answering questions without actually answering them”. After three episodes I still have a lot of the same questions. Which path is the right one? What is real and what not?

With each episode I fall further into the mystery of this book. I don’t know who to believe and trust anymore. And when I think I finally have a piece of the puzzle it turns out to be completely different than I thought it was. I know that Karen thought that she might lose a lot of readers because of this episode but that’s not the case with me. I’m more hooked than ever to this series. I want to find out how everything works and most of all I want to learn the truth. I’m really excited for the next episode in this series! 

El

Review: The Magician (Virtual Arcana #1) by Karen Amanda Hooper

Title: The Magician
Author: Karen Amanda Hooper
Series: Virtual Arcana
Publisher: Starry Sky Publisher
Publication date: November 15th 2014
Pages: 54 (ebook) 
Source: received from author (Thank you so much!!)







The second book in the VIRTUAL ARCANA series.

The series starts with book 0: The Fool

Mysterious cards keep appearing in Kelsey's life, stirring up questions and forcing her to keep secrets from her sister, Keekee. 

Triggered by Kelsey's fear and Keekee's worry, the twins become bright blips on their tyrannical government's radar.

Xander's magic seems to be their only chance at escaping a dangerous confrontation, but is Kelsey willing to  break multiple laws and finally step into Xander's illegal world of virtual reality?

Goodreads

The Magician the second episode in the Virtual Arcana series. It picks up right after where The Fool left off.

After reading The Fool I had a strong urge to read the second book. I wanted to know what would happen next with Kelsey, Xander and Keekee. I had to find out what exactly was going on because at the end of the first book I was so confused, just like Kelsey. I did get some of my answers but at the same time I also got a lot of new questions.

It was exciting to learn more about the world Kelsey and her friends live in. It’s a really strange and complex world. All the technology that they’ve invented is so nice, especially the different worlds they can access thanks through the technology. At the same time there are also still old thing from years ago like paper books. The combination of those two is what makes this book so interesting. But at the same time the government controls every move of their citizens. So I don’t think I would ever like to live in that world.

I was sucked into The Magician right from page one. Like always the case with Karen her books the writing was great and the story flowed well from one scene to the other.  We also got to know the different characters a little better. Through the different events in this book we get to see what they do and who they are. Kelsey is growing as a character but it’s clear that she still has a long journey ahead of her. I don’t know what to think of Xander at times he’s a really great person and I love how he sees the world. But he’s still a bit of a mystery and at times he’s just a little to cheesy for me. But I am definitely looking forward to get to know him better.

Overall I really liked this book. I’m still not a huge fan of serial style books but everything is starting to come together. The ending of this book was great, yes there was a cliffhanger but it didn’t bother me as much as it usual does. I can’t wait till the next book is released, I’m so excited to find out what is going to happen next. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a YA Sci-Fi book who doesn’t mind that it’s released in serial style. 

El