Kristjan's Rise by Kandi J. Wyatt

Genre: Young Adult, Adult, Fantasy

Source:  I received and advanced copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Kristjan is the son of the chief. One day he will be the new chief of the clan. Only one thing can stop this from happening, the voices in his head that keep telling him how useless he is. For every positive voice he hears there is a negative voice.  Kristjan and his best friends Marko and Bastian his cousin are almost inseparable. They live in a city carved out of the stone. The gems they mine have been found less and less. They need these gems to bring the traders in. Marko and Kristjan are more like brothers. They have been this way since they were tiny.  Kristjan's mother died giving birth to him. His father the chief raised him. For some reason Kristjan doesn't believe he can live up to one day being the chief. The darkness in his mind escalates when he volunteers himself, Marko and Bastian to go out hunting for food. A freak accident claims the life of his best friend and sets him down the path of darkness.  He blames himself for Marko's death. He feels he needs to be punished, and the punishment should be death.

I believe there are so many people who could relate to this book.  I was once like Kristjan.  I had dark thoughts.  The thing is that as a Christian you just keep crying out to God to help you find the peace.  The journey Kristjan is on is hard to read. We will either see ourselves in him or we will see someone we know or knew. For me this book was very  soothing.  It resembled a time in my life I can look back on and know that God brought me through.  There is so much more to this book than just the darkness. This is as much a book of hope.  I highly recommend this book and can't wait for the next one to come out.  This book is supposed to be published sometime in September so keep your eye out for it.

 

Citrine's Monsters by Angela J. Ford

Genre: Fantasy

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This prequel short story set the series up in away that made me want to dive right into it. Citrine is a unique character. When you see how she was betrayed by the one she loved and used by others you can't help but feel sorry for her and root her on.This is the beginning of a world filled with fantastic characters and what I believe will be a great adventure.

 

When the Silence Fell by Christopher Francis

 

Genre:  Young Adult, Dystopian

Source:  I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Christopher Francis has quickly become one of my favorite dystopian writers.  Mara is a survivor. She lives in a world coated with ash and silence.  She is on a journey to find her brother Gabe and her sister Cami. They left one day to find supplies and never returned. Now all she wants to do is survive and find them. Sometimes  life doesn't go as planned. When Mara finds a young boy named Silas, things change.  Silas has a device that leads him from one relay point to another. She is not sure how or why only he can receive the signal, but she is sticking with him to protect him and to hopefully locate her brother and sister.  Along the way she and Silas are saved by Jared, a young man they had encountered before. They also rescue a young girl who seems to be reacting to the signals the way a lot of adults do before they become hollow.

I kept reading to know more about the sickness and the signals and each of the characters we meet along the way. I kept reading to find out how a world could go so wrong, how adults who seem so ready to help and protect can be just the opposite. Although the ending was tied up neatly, it left us waiting for the next book in this series. 

How To Improve Leadership Development In Business: A Simple Blueprint to Build Strong Teams, Master Emotional Intelligence, Inspire Confidence, and Achieve Leadership Excellence Dr. Francis Dumbuya

 

Genre: Adult, Inspirational Leadership

Source: I received a copy from the author to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

This book is set up to teach you how to become a successful leader.  To do this you need to become well disciplined. Part of this is connecting emotionally with your team. This makes things so smooth. He talked about active listening and giving and receiving feedback. A lot of the things he talks about in the first half of the book are things we do with our students at school. We teach them to be active listeners. We teach them to be risk takers. 

The author describes different types of leadership shedding light on the pros and cons of each type. He gives examples throughout the book using real people and real situations. This is a very motivational book no matter what your leadership role is.

Project Human by Pen Avey

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Source: I won a copy. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I am so thankful I won a copy of this book from the author through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.  I read this book in under three hours. I had to take a break for breakfast. The major theme of this book is, What does it mean to be human?  This story about a girl named Eva and her father, and the android sister they created for her, caught my eye from the very beginning.  Eva and her sister Ann are home schooled. The reason? Ann is and android, called a simulant. Eva calls her a Humant. One day their father tells them he has to try to find a different job. He will need to have them stay with his sister. The problem is he hasn't exactly asked his sister Jo to keep them. He makes Eva promise not to tell anyone about Ann. For the first time in their life they will be going to a public school. The new neighbors below her aunt have a son named Rokas. He and Eva hit it off. When a day trip to a science museum leads to Ann's disappearance, Eva and Rokas set off to find Ann.  What happens next will keep you on the edge of your seat, reading. It brings into question what love will make you do for someone else. The major plot twist that happens about three-quarters of the way through was one I suspected. Every part of this book was a pleasure to read. I don't think five stars is enough. That is how much I loved this book.

Edge of the Woods by A.J. Rivers

 

Genre: Adult, Young Adult, Mystery
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I loved this book. It had an element that many people hate or find confusing. In this story, a group of girls is spending their last year at camp. They have just graduated from high school. After camp, they will be moving on with their lives. In the middle of their camping, Bethany walks out of their cabin and never returns. The story has flashbacks through text messages and memories.

Now move to the present time. Annie is awakened with another nightmare. Every June for fifteen the nightmares return. Annie finds it difficult to function.  Then she and two other girls receive a call from someone who wants to make a movie about what happened at camp that summer. Annie finally agrees so that it is told from the right perspective.  But what happens when things start happening at  camp again.  Will it destroy or help Annie?

There was everything to love about this book. The mystery, the characters, all of it.  I definitely recommend it.

The Abandoned Theater by dana Robertson

 

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery, Fantasy

Source: I received a copy from the author to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

What an amazing  and wonderful middle grade book.  We have a mysterious theater, said to have swallowed up people in the past, a young girl and two friends who have chosen to figure out the mystery.  Then there is the whole portal to another world. What story like this would be complete without someone who wants to take over all worlds?  The mystery genre has been my favorite since I was in elementary school. Throw in a fantasy world and I have the best of both genres.

If you have ever been in an old theater, especially at night you know the eerie feeling you get. It is a bit creepy. That feeling is definitely in the this theater.  The author has done an excellent job of creating twists and turns at just the right place.

I received a copy from the author to facilitate my review. Since I teach middle school and I am always looking for great books for my classroom shelves, I am glad Dana reached out.  I can’t wait to do my first book tasting and book talk. This will be the first book I recommend to my students.  I am looking forward to the second book in this series.

Charlotte's Snowman by Lainey Dee

 

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Source: I received a copy from the author. The opinions expressed here are my own.

A cute story about Charlotte and her love for a snowman. One winter it snows and Charlotte builds the most beautiful and special snowman ever. After giving him a stick mouth her snowman begins to talk. Beautifully illustrated and a pleasure to read. You must read to find out what the snowman said to her and why he was so special.

Escape From East Berlin by Andy Marino

 

Genre:  Middle Grade, Historical Fiction

Source: I own a copy

The story is told from two different time periods. The first part of the story is set in Berlin three months after the Berlin Wall has gone up. We meet two young men who are planning to swim the river to the west side to meet up with two girls. Unfortunately someone has informed on them and they are shot at. One is killed the other imprisoned.  Two months later we meet the dead boy’s sister Marta. She hates those who shot her brother. It has pretty much destroyed her family. She knows they are constantly watched by the Stasi. When she overhears her cousin planning to escape to the West side things are set in motion.

The second story is set in 1989. We meet Kurt Muller. His brother is a border guard and his grandfather is a high ranking official in the Stasi.  Kurt’s parents were arrested and the grandfather arranged for them to be sent to the West.  Both of their stories are held together with the grandfather in common. 

This story shows just a small part of what it was like to live on the East side of the Berlin Wall and want the freedom of the West.  The book is full of fear, hope and dreams. There was a lot of research done in this book. At the end the author gives us the names of books he used to research for the writing of this book. Several of them I have already read.  This is a quick read, but one you will want to slow down as you read.

Haunted Houses Creak by M.H. Altis

 

Genre: Adult, Horror
Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. The opinions expressed here are my own.

You want to read something creepy?  This is the book for you. “Phantoms of Eternity: Haunted House” has the creep factor that tells you the following: when someone suggests you go into a house they say is haunted because people have disappeared, your answer is NO. I was so glad I read this book during the daytime and was glad that I was not in the house alone. This story definitely creeped me out. That means this is a book I definitely recommend.

“The Weeds was another story I enjoyed. I could identify with swimming  in an area where there was massive amounts of seaweed or in a river where there were weeds at the edge.  It is always a creepy feeling. The what-ifs that come to mind as you step in seaweed or weeds of any kind at the edge of the water.

I am not going to go through all of these stories. I believe there is something here that will resonate with everyone if you truly enjoy horror stories. With that said, I highly recommend this book to all horror fans out there.