review

Review: Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

March 31, 2012 by Sana

Title: Two-Way Street

Author: Lauren Barnholdt

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: 26 July 2007

Pages: 304 (eBook)

Synopsis
There are two sides to every breakup.

This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They’re even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.

Then Jordan dumps Courtney — for a girl he met on the Internet.

It’s too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney’s heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la — this is Courtney pretending not to care.

But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.

Turns out, he’s got a secret or two that he’s not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can’t get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

My Rating

* * * *

The Review

As soon as I read the backside of Two-Way Street, I wanted to read it. It is always interesting to read such books of conflicting interests. Albeit, I figured out the main conflict about 50 pages into the book. It was predictable. But the thing is that I didn’t mind it because I wanted to read the jibes being exchanged throughout their journey. Jordan and Courtney are not together anymore and Courtney is not aware of the real reason Jordan broke up with her. But both are still pretty much in love. So the jealousy naturally ensues.

It was so engrossing to read about the thinking process of Jordan and Courtney. The way they handled their BFFs and how they both evolved. It was all so different ’cause they actually liked each other before the trip. The flashbacks and the way they brought out the best and the worst in each other were fun to read. All those thing Courtney did to get the attention of Jordan only made him want her more. Ah…what fun!

I liked the character of Jordan more at times, his views on making it hard for the cheerleader to get him. However, it was somewhat player-ish of him. Also, I didn’t really liked the whole night of the party when Courtney wanted to tell Lloyd about her feelings. That was so twisted because of how fast everything happened and it got all messed up at the end of the night.

In all, Two-Way Street was a hilarious read and the best thing was that we get the point of views from Courtney and Jordan, both. It all fit together so well and I appreciate the book because of what it tried to communicate about. B.J and Jocelyn, their BFFs were awesome, too! Don’t miss out on a great, light, summer read!

Best Quote:

“Maybe it’s our bodies’ way of telling us we were meant to be. Or maybe I, like, cuddle raped him or something.”

Review: Until Next Time by Amy Lignor Blog Tour

March 21, 2012 by Sana

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Title: Until Next Time (The Angel Chronicles, #1)
Author: Amy Lignor
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: Tribute Books
Release Date: 1 February 2012
Pages: 295 (eBook)

Synopsis

How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the ‘life’ they’ve been assigned. What they don’t realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz’s establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel’s path and a warrior’s plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that’s ripping them apart.

My Rating

* * * *

The Review

Until Next Time is unlike any other fantasy book I have ever read. It is a complex book that deals with human emotions which does become confusing at times. When I sat down to read Until Next Time, I never expected it to go so deep as it did and to make me wonder all that is about human nature and emotions. Amy Lignor has managed to write a story that is a mixture of everything and not solely focused on romance. Angels in Until Next Time do not merely visit earth, they live human lives to gather knowledge and seek understanding of humans.

Emily and Matt are soul mates up there who have a duty to live countless lives on earth to discern what really goes on in the minds of humans. Emily chooses to be an angel and Matt, a warrior. The story begins when Emily remembers their first ever lives on earth. As a human on earth, angels neither remember their lives up there nor do they remember their previous lives on earth so as not to be influenced by choices made in the past. This is why Emily reads from the book that holds the stories and the memories.

As they fall down there, Emily enters the human shell of Liz and Matt becomes Daniel. From then on the tragic and painful life Liz had lived becomes entwined with Emily and her emotions. Daniel, on the other hand, have to choose between the right and the wrong action which have the power to change the course of his life.

As both of them live their lives on earth, they visit up there and the four archangels Michael, Gabriel, Francis and Mark help them guide when they are confused. Emily goes through the process of falling in love with Jason and Matt falls for Angela. The other characters, Charles and Faith, also play important roles in the story. The scenes which tells about the angel Jason looks up to are beautiful and full of faith. Something that I can read again and again.

What I really liked was the way Amy Lignor dealt with what makes humans good or bad. I really liked these lines spoken by Gabriel: “loneliness—the one emotion that is entirely man-made. Humans created it—the mother who didn’t care; the father who struck his family; the schoolboy or girl whose first crush broke their heart, an addiction to drugs—loneliness drags people down and they forget they have someone to turn to. Without faith, they just settle for whoever will pretend to listen. If you don’t believe in anything, you feel abandoned.”

In all, Until Next Time is a chronicle of angels and the hardships they have to endure, the faith they might lose in the face of the true evil which weakens the human soul. The love which is the salvation for humans and how love is what matters in the end. After all, things are bound to get difficult with each passing life spent on earth.

Best Quote:

“That’s one of the facts that I learned from my time down there—the so called crazy ones—seem to know more about life than everyone else.”

About the Author

Amy Lignor began her career at Grey House Publishing in northwest Connecticut where she was the Editor-in-Chief of numerous educational and business directories.

Now she is a published author of several works of fiction. The Billy the Kid historical The Heart of a Legend; the thriller, Mind Made; and the adventure novel, Tallent & Lowery 13.

She is also the owner of The Write Companion, a company that offers help and support to writers through a full range of editorial services from proofreading and copyediting to ghostwriting and research. As the daughter of a research librarian, she is also an active book reviewer.

Currently, she lives with her daughter, mother and a rambunctious German Shepherd named Reuben, in the beautiful state of New Mexico.

Amy Lignor can be found at

Review: Night Sky by Jolene Perry Blog Tour

March 20, 2012 by Sana

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Title: Night Sky
Author: Jolene Perry
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Tribute Books
Release Date: 1 March 2012
Pages: 247 (eBook)

Synopsis

After losing Sarah, the friend he’s loved, to some other guy, Jameson meets Sky. Her Native American roots, fluid movements, and need for brutal honesty become addictive fast. This is good. Jameson needs distraction – his dad leaves for another woman, his mom’s walking around like a zombie, and Sarah’s new boyfriend can’t keep his hands off of her.

As he spends time with Sky and learns about her village, her totems, and her friends with drums – she’s way more than distraction. Jameson’s falling for her fast.

But Sky’s need for honesty somehow doesn’t extend to her life story – and Jameson just may need more than his new girl to keep him distracted from the disaster of his senior year.

My Rating

* * * *

The Review

Wow, this year I get to read books that have an unpredictable story-lines and Night Sky was no exception. The book is told entirely from Jameson’s point of view and man, did I like that! Jameson is a very tall, sensitive, hot guy who likes to sit in the bottom of his swimming pool to reflect, listen to 90s grunge music and think way more than he should. I was sucked into the book right from the first line. “I push my way through the masses of dancing couples, out the heavy doors of the school, and stop. Now I can breathe.”

The problems Jameson’s had to face and things he had to overcome, he wouldn’t have really guessed those at all which makes reading Night Sky all the more exciting. On the other hand, I am not really sure what to think about Sarah. Yes I felt bad that she chose Eric, the star quarterback, over Jameson but that’s just about it. I didn’t like Sarah because she didn’t fight for something she needn’t fight for in the first place.

Then there’s Sky. Sky who made reading the book for me a very engrossing experience. She kept me on my toes with what she was going to do next as much as she did Jameson’s. The honesty rule was something fresh in her relationship with Jameson and it definitely gave an edge to Night Sky. I wish I could read more about her and her native roots.

Reading about Jameson’s parents and his day-to-day life was also great as it told a lot about how Jameson lived his life and how he is as a person. I liked how everything turned out for him and how his relationship with his Mon is so easy-going and relaxed. Night Sky is so much more than just romance, it’s about standing up and the struggle it requires to keep your honesty in check. With Jameson’s parents working at a casino and their weird meal timings, Night Sky managed to bring out the best of all worlds.

Up until the end, Jolene Perry managed to hold an air of mystery and I am very glad she did that. Moreover, the title of the book, Night Sky, has a meaning behind it and well, it’s a beautiful title. Overall, Night Sky is a great read and I would highly recommend it to readers of contemporary YA.

Best Quote:

“One thing I know is—everyone has impulses, but you don’t have to act on them. At some point, you make a decision and that decision means you meant to do something. Don’t give me any crap about not meaning to do things.”

About the Author

Jolene grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in political science and French, which she used to teach math to middle schoolers.

After living in Washington, Utah and Las Vegas, she now resides in Alaska with her husband, and two children. Aside from writing, Jolene sews, plays the guitar, sings when forced, and spends as much time outside as possible.

She is also the author of The Next Door Boys and the upcoming Knee Deep.

Jolene Perry can be found at

Review: Tundra 37 by Aubrie Dionne Blog Tour

March 14, 2012 by Sana

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Title: Tundra 37 (A New Dawn, #2)
Author: Aubrie Dionne
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: 7 February 20
Pages: 288 (eBook)

Synopsis

Gemme is a hi-tech matchmaker who pairs the next generation of Lifers aboard the Expedition, a deep space transport vessel destined for Paradise 18. When the identity of her lifemate pops up on her screen, she’s shocked that he’s the achingly gorgeous and highly sought after Lieutenant Miles Brentwood—a man oblivious to her existence. Believing everyone will think she contrived the match, she erases it from the computer’s memory.

Just as comets pummel the ship and destroy the pairing system forever.

With the Expedition disabled, the colonists must crash land on the barren ice world of Tundra 37 where Gemme is reassigned to an exploratory mission, led by Lieutenant Brentwood. Only in the frozen tundra does she understand the shape of his heart and why the computer has entwined their destinies.

My Rating

* * * *

The Review

It was simply an astoundingly melancholic and an unlikely emotional experience for me to read Tundra 37. So, to say that Tundra 37 is an unpredictable read would be an understatement. I didn’t expect the book to tug at my heartstrings. The book really made me appreciate the life on Earth more than anything else. All the loss and the madness that then ensues longing and deprivation is enough to make anyone lose their minds.

The story of Tundra 37 is not limited to the protagonists alone. The twin sisters aboard the Expedition, known as Seers, play an important role in the story as well. This is where the unpredictability kicks in. Without giving much away, the way the memories connected with the orb blew me away. The flashbacks to Old Earth painted a very vivid picture which made reading those scenes very engrossing.

Gemme, with her job as a Matchmaker, is a determined women and a true Lifer which is why she gives preference to predestination over choice and organization over chaos. But life certainly has entirely something else in store for her starting from her pairing with Brentwood, one of the Lieutenants on board the Expedition. Then she lands a job as an explorer from a matchmaker, talk about a makeover!

Brentwood, on the other hand, has his whole life laid out for him and has never expected more than that. So when something beyond their control happens, altering their course and the foundation of their mission, Brentwood is left to be the leader of his people.

But the question remains, is it enough to go through with what destiny seems to have chosen for them and not merely computers? From then on, Tundra 37 plunges into the heart of the ice on the planet making it a fast-paced book with never a dull moment in between. The life of the Seers still has me reeling in unbelief. I would highly recommend this book to lovers of science fiction and to everyone else simply because the book has a lot of elements of humanity and the value of human life.

Best Quote:

“The moment felt inevitable, each second pulsing forward to bring them here, at the edge of this world, at the beginning of their own.”

Aubrie Dionne can be found at

Review: Paradise 21 by Aubrie Dionne Blog Tour

March 10, 2012 by Sana

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Title: Paradise 21 (A New Dawn, #1)
Author: Aubrie Dionne
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: 2 August 2011
Pages: 228 (eBook)

Synopsis

Aries has lived her entire life aboard mankind’s last hope, the New Dawn, a spaceship traveling toward a planet where humanity can begin anew—a planet that won’t be reached in Aries’ lifetime. As one of the last genetically desirable women in the universe, she must marry her designated genetic match and produce the next generation for this centuries-long voyage.

But Aries has other plans.

When her desperate escape from the New Dawn strands her on a desert planet, Aries discovers the rumors about pirates—humans who escaped Earth before its demise—are true. Handsome, genetically imperfect Striker possesses the freedom Aries envies, and the two connect on a level she never thought possible. But pursued by her match from above and hunted by the planet’s native inhabitants, Aries quickly learns her freedom will come at a hefty price.

The life of the man she loves.

My Rating

* * * *

The Review

What attracted me towards Paradise 21 was the synopsis, I haven’t read much sci-fi books and this one seemed good enough to read. So despite the cover which seems to scream steamy romance, I was hooked from the first sentence.

Matched with a manipulating, power-hungry Barliss to preserve the gene pool aboard New Dawn, Aries Ryder couldn’t have it worse. She is not your typical heroine; because even though she is a first class Lifer on New Dawn, she wants out. So she plans her escape and lands onto a deadened planet Sahara 354. Little does she know what’s in store for her; from lizard men who have a habit of stealing to the giant sandworm ready for a kill.

Luckily, for her, there’s Striker abandoned by his fellow pirates on Sahara 354 five years ago. And he’s not only good at surviving in the desert; he has a much bigger plan. An alien ship that crashed into Sahara 354 along with the eggs that won’t hatch is the only hope for their survival and escape from Sahara 354 and land on Refuge.

The two fall into an easy companionship, but they don’t have much time because it’s centuries after Earth disintegrated and technology has far since taken on a new meaning. So it wouldn’t take long for Barliss, to whom Aries is bequeathed, to come out looking for her with the help of her locator and what not. And then there’s the ex-fellow pirate, Drifter and the ex-girlfriend, Tiff who may have found the hidden map to Refuge. But they need Striker to decode it.

Paradise 21 is a fast-paced read, so you never lose interest because there’s something happening at all times. It’s admirable to see the strong protagonists and the world-building is awe-inspiring as I could actually imagine the universe after earth. All the betrayal, the fight for life, the concern about gene pool, remnants of the old Earth and the journey towards Paradise 21 come together in unpredictable ways. The book seems to have it all.

Best Quote:

“The world’s a tough place, and the universe is colder still.”

Aubrie Dionne can be found at

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