Perks Of Being A Late Night Reader

The Firedragon by Mary Fan Average Rating: 4.47 Stars My Rating: 3/5 Stars Pages: 95 IBSN: 9780974909646 *I received a copy of The Firedragon in exchange for an honest review* The Firedragon  by Mary Fan is a novella about a fourteen year-old girl named Aurelia "the Firedragon" Sun, who has been training her whole life to become a defender. Defenders are non-magical humans, who fight monsters that are left on earth after the Enchanters, who are magical humans, defeat the Lord of the Underworld. In her world, the government is ruled by the Enchanters and they have their sights set on her because of her extraordinary combat skills. After they take interest in her, she is sent to participate in a international monster-fighting competition, which pits fighters from all around the world to fight against creatures of the underworld. I bet you can imagine the violent spectacle. As Aurelia progresses through the competition, she realizes not everything is what it seems. I...

You Are Not Alone: Stories from the Front Lines of Womanhood by Leah Carey  Average Rating: 4.57 Stars My Rating: 5/5 Stars ISBN: 9780692285619 *I received a copy of  You Are Not Alone: Stories from the Front Lines of Womanhood in exchange for an honest review*  After Twitter exploded with the hashtag #YesAllWomen, which told stories of women's experiences of harassment and assault in their daily lives and disturbing comments from some, and the Isla Vista killings, ten amazing women came together to share their stories with each other and later on with the world. Each woman from varying races, ages, locations, and lifestyles writes their own unique stories and thoughts based on all different types of prompts chosen by Carey, who also participated and created the writing workshop.  The beginning chapters are an introduction to the events that lead to the start of this wonderful book. Carey writes about the Isla Vista killings, the #YesAllW...

Demon's Blood by Shari Sakuria Average Rating:  4.11/5 Stars My Rating:  3.5/5 stars Pages:  308 IBSN:  978099282424 *I received a copy of Demon's Blood in exchange for an honest review* Demon's blood is about two vampires after they flee Tokyo because of a house fire caused by vampire hunters. It's the story of how they try to make a new life for themselves in England. The two vampires are Kokawa Taku and his lover, Thane. Months later, Thane is still having nightmares of the fire that almost took their undead lives. Thane later becomes careless, which leads to the discovery of one of his victims. His lover, Taku, on the other hand tries to deal with the aftermath, but Thane disapproves of his methods. Also while this is going on, Taku tries to hide what really happened to them three months ago... Lately, all the vampire books I read are about fluffy or sexy vampires that are angst-ridden or trying to make a romantic relationship work with someone of a...

A tale of small town magic. It's the year 1985, the summer of "New Coke" and the Live-Aid concert. A quiet Indiana town has fallen into turmoil with the sudden failure of their local landmark- a mystical wish granting machine dating back to the 30's. Newly elected Sheriff Jimmy Picnic must calm the local nerves, while trying to handle a slick California con man who's recently arrived, insisting that only he can fix the novelty... but for a price. Can the Sheriff manage this? Especially, while solving the first murder of his career, that of a visiting historian searching for the lost treasure of Napoleon. Sheriff Jimmy must overcome the revived crush of his high school dream girl, the destructive forces of mother nature, and a very dangerous foreigner who will stop at nothing to retrieve a sacred object that is too unbelievable to conceive. Novelty is comedy of a mystery, wrapped in mythology, with a flair for the nostalgia of the MTV generation. Average Rating...

Amelia grew up in a world of half-truths. She knows she's an Elder, but has no idea what that means. Her father reminds her daily that she must maintain control, but he refuses to explain why. Even worse, she's betrothed to the prince of the Immortals and doesn't even know his name.  Finally breaking free to live a few normal years at a community college, the last thing Amelia expects is to find her best friend in a cheeky southern girl, or fall for a self-assured human who sees her for who she is, not what she will become.  As she learns more about herself, Amelia realizes the line between love and duty is a thin one. As her power continues to increase exponentially and her questions are slowly answered, Amelia must make the ultimate choice. The question is, will her head win the battle, or her heart?  Average Rating: 3.92 stars My Rating: 5/5 stars Pages: 390 ISBN:  9780692259016 *I bought and read the Kindle version for a book club called Read With Ben* S...

"Isolated and sheltered by her lonely mother, Maura's never been able to make friends. She seems to drive her classmates away—except for the odd times they pay enough attention to torture her—but she  doesn't  understand why. Maura considers herself to be a freak of nature, with her unusually pale skin and an aversion to the sun that renders her violently nauseous. Her belief is only worsened by the fact that almost everyone around her keeps their distance. Even her own father deserted her before she was born, leaving Maura alone with her emotionally distant mother, Caelyn. Even though Maura is desperate for answers about her unknown parent, Caelyn remains heartbroken and her daughter can’t bring herself to reopen her mother’s wounds. Or is there a more sinister reason Caelyn refuses to utter a word about her long-lost love? When a cruel prank nearly claims Maura’s life, one of her classmates, Ron, rushes to her rescue. Darkly handsome & mysteriously accepting, Ron do...

"An Ancient Island Holds an Ancient Secret . . . Nick Hennessy, a young Texas journalist yearning for his big break, finds himself in Europe--his assignment, to investigate the alarming disappearance of invaluable Grecian antiquities. Nick has the credentials--and cover ID--to unearth the truth. And he knows just the researcher to help him... Carey Mathers, fresh from her studies in forensic archaeology, " "has accepted a job with the prestigious Athens Institute for Antiquities--a dream come true, really, particularly when the Greek isle of Patmos, where the Apostle John received his vision of the Apocalypse, was a particular focus of her research. Dimitri Rubinos, for whom the Greek islands represent his life, holds on by his fingernails to the family charter boat business. But his country's economic chaos isn't the only thing that has turned his world on its head..."-Goodreads Average Rating: 3.88 Stars My Rating: 3/5 Stars Goodreads, 3.5/5 Stars Pages...

"Is there a bully in your life that you don't know how to deal with? I had one too. It prompted me to write 'Chestnuts: A True Story About Being Bullied, ' a book outlining practical strategies for defending against bullies and resolving the conflict and aggression that often plagues victims of bullying. Inside these pages, I will take you through my own harrowing journey with bullies - from boarding school beat-ups, to violent attacks from crazed skinheads on the streets of London, to bullies in public school in America. In each chapter a reflection of my personal story will show you what I did wrong, and how you can actually defend yourself in this modern day and age. Find out: * How bullying is perceived by bullies, victims, parents and teachers * What goes on in the mind of a bully, and what you can do about it * How authority figures often make bullying even worse * The steps you can take to defend yourself, find help and heal from the trauma In 'Chestnuts: A ...

"A couple adopts a depressed hedgehog; a stranger shows up, claiming to be the father of a girl's imaginary friend; a woman kidnaps her ex-husband's turtle; a family is evicted from their home, but was it ever really theirs? Heartbreaking and hilarious, the eight stories of Einstein's Beach House examine how we deceive ourselves and others, all to arrive at something far more real."  Average Rating: 4.36 Stars My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars, Goodreads= 4/5 Pages:  179 **I received a free copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review** As soon as I read the description of book, I knew it would be quirky and very entertaining. I was right. I gave this a four point five stars out of five stars because there were two stories I was not a huge fan of, which were Strings and Limerence. I feel like those two were not as good as the others, but were still likeable. On the other hand, I absolutely adored Hue and Cry, La Tristesse Des Herisson...

"Warrior Lore is the second collection of Scandinavian folk ballads translated into English verse by Ian Cumpstey, following Lord Peter and Little Kerstin. These narrative ballads were part of an oral tradition in Scandinavia, and were first written down around 1600. Included in this book are stories of heroes and fighters, Vikings, and trolls. The legendary hero Widrick Waylandsson comes face to face with a troll in the forest. Thor resorts to cross-dressing in a bid to recover his stolen hammer. The daughter of the King of Sweden is abducted from a convent in the Swedish countryside. A young fighter has to show off his prowess in skiing and shooting for King Harald Hardrada. And more... All the ballads included are: Widrick Waylandsson's Fight with Long-Ben Reyser; Twelve Strong Fighters; Hilla-Lill; Sir Hjalmar; The Hammer Hunt; The Stablemates; Sven Swan-White; The Cloister Raid; Heming and the Mountain Troll; Heming and King Harald." -Goodreads Average Rating: 3.95...

A murdered boy in a Cambridgeshire graveyard sets in motion an investigation into the local church and school, with suspicions of a cult murmured throughout the community. With their first case, DI Eva Wednesday and DS Jacob Lennox explore the various levels of desperation and malice that can stem from an unhappy or dissatisfied life, where no one takes responsibility for their actions. They quickly find that everyone harbors a secret which, left uncontrolled, can bring forth devastating self-destruction.-Goodreads Average Rating: 4 Stars My Rating: 4 Stars Pages: 306 *I received a copy from AuthorAmp.com in exchange for a honest review** Hemmie Martin has a way of making the complex relationships her characters have come to life. She is also really talented at leaving the reader completely dumbfounded when the killer is revealed.  I first read Rightful Owner, the second book in the DI Wednesday series, back in 2014 for a AuthorAmp review. Then I fell in love with...

Bridges Burned By Chris Cannon Release Date: January 19th 2015 Publisher: Entangled Teen Pages: 312 Average Rating: 4.22 stars Don't just fight the system…burn it. Since discovering she is a shape-shifting, fire-breathing dragon on her sixteenth birthday (surprise!), Bryn McKenna’s world has been thrown into chaos. Being a “crossbreed”—part Red dragon and part Blue—means Bryn will never fit in. Not with dragon society. Not with the archaic and controlling Directorate. And definitely not when she has striped hair and a not-so-popular affection for rule-breaking… But sneaking around with her secret boyfriend, Zavien, gets a whole lot harder when he’s betrothed to someone else. Someone who isn't a mixed breed and totally forbidden. And for an added complication, it turns out Bryn’s former archnemesis Jaxon Westgate isn’t quite the evil asshat she thought. Now she’s caught between her desire to fit in and a need to set things on fire. Literally. Because if Bryn can’t ada...

New England, 1643. A meeting in the forest between a rebellious young Englishman and a visionary Wampanoag leads to a dangerous collision of societies, an epic sea journey, and the making of an unforgettable friendship. -Goodreads Average Rating: 4.33 Stars My Rating: 4.5/5 stars, Goodreads= 4/5 Pages: 184 **I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review** Will Poole's Island by Tim Weed is a descriptive adventurous tale of growth, friendship, and freedom. A fellow Goodreads user named Troy said "What starts out as a classic coming of age tale unfolds into a meditation on culture clashes, spirituality, freedom, and trust." I completely agree and I could not have said it better myself. The reader gets to go on an adventure with a 17 year old Will and his mentor/friend Squamiset, a Native American. The reader get completely immersed into the vividly described story. This happens to be why I liked this novel so much. I love when a story is so vividly descri...

So I am joining a review team started by the lovely, Jo Michaels. It is basically a team of book bloggers who will read and review books up to a certain amount and then link each review to another site. She is then putting the reviews into her magazine on Flipboard. This starts January 2015 to the end of December 2015. You can sign up at any time and you can determine how many books you want to read and review. That is called your commitment level, which are listed below. Mine is HUNGRY! Also I will leave the links to the signup page and to a page with more information. Commitment Levels: SNACKER~ 1-10 books RUMBLING~ 11-20 books HUNGRY~ 21-40 books STARVING~41-60 books INSATIABLE~ 60 or more books More info:  http://jomichaels.blogspot.com/2014/11/time-for-books-2015-review-team-signups.html Signup Page:  http://jomichaels.blogspot.com/p/time-for-books-2015-review-team-signup.html Let me know in the comments if anyone joins and what commitment level you cho...