A Chance For Charity by S.L. Baum

 

Genre: Young Adult, Adult, Supernatural Mystery

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

     A former student of mine would call this book a romantasy.  I am usually not big on romance novels in any form. There has to be something mysterious or different going on in the story.  That is probably why I was never a fan of the Harlequin romance stories. I didn’t get into the mushy, gushy side of it. I never really felt like they had a strong plot thread. This book is different.

     Emily, previously known as Charity and her “family” have moved to Telluride, Colorado. They have to move every few years to keep up appearances.  They are immortals with special abilities.  You can imagine the issue this could cause for a relationship. In addition to all of that Charity and her family is going through, they are being hunted by two brothers whose sole job is to hunt down immortals. 

     Charity usually stays to herself. She isolates herself because it is so much easier. She begins school makes friends fairly easy. Then she meets Link, another new student. There seems to be a connection between Link and Charity. I told you Charity was an immortal, but Link is not.  This adds another complicated layer to the story. The author has created a story that shows well developed world building as well as well developed characters.  It truly has everything you could want. It has the romance, if you are into that. It has the mystery/supernatural side.  This is what kept me reading even though it is a romance.   As I read this book, I kept thinking about how difficult it is being a teen. The tension is raised because Charity not only has to live the life of a teen, but she has had to do this numerous times. I teach teens and every day with them is a reminder of what my teen years were like. I would not want to relive that life over and over again.  So, if you are into supernatural romances, then you will definitely want to check out this book. As a supernatural romance, it has a bit of something for everyone.

Flume by Bigfoot

 

Genre:  Middle Grade, Mystery

Source:  I purchased a copy

This is a book with a very interesting premise.  We meet Shanks a young boy who lives with "the Captain".  It is his birthday and Captain has purchased him a ticket for the worlds tallest Flume.  There is one problem. Shanks hates water and can't swim.  When he reaches the top and starts his trip down he reaches his two friends  Flo and Yam. Each of these characters is very unique.  Flo is the tech guru. Yam keeps going into trances and proclaims someone will die.  The flume was designed and built by a former explorer who just happened to die when he took the first trip down. His body was never found.  For Shank, not only is he terrified of water, he's terrified of heights. Now that the fear level is at its highest, let's throw in a sudden thunderstorm that is the worst in a long time. As Shank zooms down the thirty-three minute ride he has hallucinations. The visions involve his parents who are long dead.  As we take this ride we find Yam telling the story of the explorer and the different places he travelled and the worlds he wrote about. What is the connection between his vision, the explorer and this flume?  I definitely need to check out this author's other books.  I enjoyed this even with the twist at the end. It is the only thing I didn't find satisfying.

Giant Island by Jane Yolen

Genre:  Children's Picture Book

Source: I purchased a copy.

A delightful book in many ways. A grandfather takes his grandchildren to Giant Island. While he fishes the children explore the island with their dog. They explore inside and out, above and below the water. By the end of the book they learn what their grandfather has known all along.  Beautiful storyline and the illustrations are fantastic.  I felt like a kid again as I read this book. It made me long for the days when my imagination ran wild.  Then again, with a book this wonderful, maybe the author has never let her imagination grow up.  Definitely a book to purchase for my great grandson.