Carries Book Reviews

Smoke and Mirrors
Jess Haines
(Blackhollow Academy #1)
Publication date: May 1st 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

A girl who uses her illusions to fool the world into thinking she’s just like all the other magi.

A dragon who sees through her lies.

Together they just might survive a world that wants to control or destroy them both.

Kimberly may wield ultimate cosmic power, but even a mage has to pay the rent. No one will hire her for her magic talents until she’s got the credentials, so she’s stuck in a crappy rent controlled apartment with her mother, yearning for treats she can’t afford at her part time job in a café, counting down the days until she graduates the secret Blackhollow Academy school for magi. Only then will she have the certificate she needs to land her dream job in a coven.

The problem? She needs a familiar to graduate.

As an illusionist, she doesn’t have the ability to summon or create a familiar of her own. Her only option is to convince a supernatural creature to let her bind it instead. Since having a powerful Other at her beck and call would guarantee her a place in a coven after she graduates—and legendary treasure hoards are an added bonus—she thinks binding a dragon as her familiar will solve all her problems…

Because sometimes a girl needs a dragon, not a knight.

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EXCERPT:

Viper made a soft hissing sound of irritation between his teeth, pulling back from her. “Cormac has no vision. I know what I want and I’m prepared to offer anything to get it. You have but to ask.”

Well. There was one thing. Her cheeks flared crimson and she squirmed a bit before stuttering out another question, swallowing back her embarrassment.

“You keep a hoard like a dragon, right? I don’t suppose you would consider loaning me a little? I swear I’d pay it back.”

His head tipped to one side, and he looked her up and down anew. She suspected he was just noticing her frayed cuffs and cheap shoes. He’d been so intent on getting whatever it was he wanted out of her that he hadn’t paid attention to the package it came in until now. When she caught the very slight curl of his lip, there and gone in a flash, embarrassed heat filled her cheeks.

Feeling both dirty and humiliated, she ducked her head. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry, I don’t think I can do this.”

“Come now, I’m sure it’s not that hard. All it takes is a yes.”

“No,” she said, this time with a bit more vehemence. Cormac was right. There was something off about Viper, and never mind what a perfect ass she’d just made of herself. Worst of all, that flash of disgust showed he obviously had no respect for her. At least Cormac never made her feel tolerated. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll find some other way of getting what I need.”

He slowly rose to stand, heaving a sigh as he settled back on his heels.

“That’s unfortunate. This would have been much easier if you had agreed.”

Kimberly would have asked what he meant by that, but the look in his eyes froze her in place.

His eyes burned a molten gold as he spread his arms, which were expanding and shifting at an alarming rate. Faster than she might have thought possible, he was growing, his clothing melting and skin disappearing under a layer of metallic scales. Nearby, people were noticing, shouting and screaming in fear as they stampeded in every direction to escape the shapechanging Other in their midst.

When he ceased growing, from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail, he was over thirty feet long, with a wingspan half again that size.

Kimberly sat immobile, unable to so much as squeak in terror as the beast before her lurched back to arch its neck and spread its wings, barbed tail lashing as it growled at her. One thick, talon-tipped paw lashed out, flattening her on the grass and squeezing the air out of her lungs. It gave an awkward, one-legged hop forward to catch its balance before clenching its claws to dig deep furrows in the grass and close around her waist and legs, pinning her.

Then those wide, ribbed wings began to flap, the sun playing off the tones of brass and copper and gold. The ground fell away, people scattering before the airborne monster.

And Kimberly could do nothing but pray, staring up at this great beast that had her in its claws.

She’d gotten what she’d asked for. Now she would have to pay the price.

Author Bio:

I’m a displaced New Yorker with a penchant for the silly, the obscure, and the fantastical. Tampa, Florida is home for the time being. I’m currently working on the H&W Investigations urban fantasy series and the Blackhollow Academy young adult contemporary fantasy series. Find out more about my books, drop me a line, or join my mailing list at http://www.jesshaines.com!

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Dissolution: A Dystopian Novella by Lee S. Hawke
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Madeline has spent her life training and preparing for the day she would be eligible to put herself up for auction at eighteen. She wants nothing more to escape from Anron Life Limited and being a human lab rat and be purchased by another company called Merce that is technology oriented.

On the day of the auctions though Maddie finds herself still standing after all of the others have been auctioned off and she’s told that she’s not on the list. Now it comes to light that she was never able to be sold and that Anron owns her outright and now they want to put her to death.

Dissolution is a rather short read that you can see touches of other dystopian novels such as Divergent, Hunger Games and The Giver. The teen MC is set to find out where she will be sent the rest of her life and then things go wrong for her at the ceremony. In this book Maddie finds herself needing to fight back against the corporations in control.

What I found with this one that kept me from rating a bit higher is that it has that novella curse to it that I just found myself wanting a bit more out it when done. Being so short it was a good enough story but it could have been great if things get expanded and explained with more depth than is possible in a novella.

Overall, 3.5 stars. A good read but could have used more expanding to be better.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

With Malice by Eileen Cook
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jill Charron wakes to a fuzzy head and no memory beyond celebrating the end of a school performance with her friends. When she finds she’s actually in the hospital with series injuries from a car accident she has no clue what happened. After learning she needs surgery on her leg Jill fears that her upcoming school trip to Italy will be cancelled only to learn that she’s already gone on the trip and her accident took place in Italy.

Jill’s parents are reluctant to tell her that her best friend Simone was in the car with her at the time of the accident and now Simone is dead and Jill is suspected of killing her. It comes to light that Jill had started a relationship in Italy and it came between the two girls and now the Italian police want to bring charges.

With Malice primarily all takes place with Jill in the hospital and going through rehab after her accident. Between the chapters there are updates on the investigation, interviews of those involved and social media coverage of what is being said in the media and from those that knew both girls.

For some strange reason this story completely sucked me in right from the start even though there is limited activity in the present situation of the story. I’d have to say congrats to the author for making what would seem like it might be a bit dull of story jump right out and grab this reader. There was an intensity to the entire read that was completely engaging just following along with Jill as she tried to piece together her life.

Jill was the honor roll amazing student on her way to an Ivy league school that somehow has her life falling apart before her eyes but no memory of whether she did or didn’t have any involvement. Jill started off feeling like she may be a bit cocky or unlikable but quickly proved to be someone you feel for as she struggles with remembering simple words after her injury.

If it weren’t for what felt like a bit of a rush to wrap up the story in the end this might have gotten five stars. The ending wasn’t amazing though after being hooked for the first 95% of the read so only four stars but I’d still definitely recommend checking this one out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Julia was a small child her mother was torn away from her. Living in a city that had banned all forms of magic Julia’s mother was drowned in a public cleansing when it was found out that she was a witch. Julia discovers that she is not like her mother but she does have her own ability, she can be what she thinks of as unseen, not invisible exactly but outside of other’s senses.

As Julia got older she decides to use her ability to become a thief and a spy as she’s found out that crime pays and pays well. Her latest job is posing as a housemaid in the home of Mrs. Och. Mrs. Och’s home is full of odd characters but what disturbs Julia the most is there seems to be a connection to the killer in the city leaving a trail of bodies.

Julia Vanishes is one of those reads that got off to a rather slow start but once it got going it really turned into a great start to what promises to be a fun series. With a murder mystery, magic and a cast of crazy characters it drew me in once the story really started moving along.

The world of magic in this story was certainly interesting to read about. Witches can cast spells simply by using a pen and paper and writing their wishes. But then we have Julia who has her own unique ability to hide in plain sight but is not a witch. There are other interesting things added to the story but to avoid spoilers I’ll just say it was fun to discover everything and everyone.

Overall, a bit slow in the beginning but definitely a good start to this series by the end.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unmatchable
Sky Corgan
Publication date: June 17th 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

From USA Today bestselling author Sky Corgan comes a sexy new billionaire romance.

I’ve spent my entire adult life avoiding dating, which is funny because I work for a matchmaking service. My boss calls me “The Beast” because of my no B.S. attitude. My job is to scare away problem clients—the unmatchables.

In waltzes Mister Alfred Barnes. He’s stuck up, brazen, and mouthwateringly gorgeous. Guys like him think they own the world, but in here I’m in charge. Kicking him out of my office is one of my greatest pleasures…until I find out that he totally lied about his identity.

Someone is going to get fired over this, and it might be me.

Now Mister Barnes is after me. After me in the most unexpected of ways. I’ve never dealt with anyone like him before, and years of therapy tell me that he’s exactly not what I need.

What does my therapist know, though? She has her own secrets, and I’m beginning to think that everyone is out to destroy me. I’m beginning to think that I’m the one who is unmatchable.

This is a standalone novel. No cliffhangers.

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Author Bio:

Sky Corgan is a USA Today Best-Selling author. When she’s not typing away at the next steamy romance series, she’s busy planning for future vacations.

You can get a FREE Sky Corgan book and stay up to date on her latest releases by signing up for her newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/v0PwX

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