Review: Time Walker by Meghan Ciana Diodge

Time Walker (Spirit Bound #1) 

By Meghan Ciana Diodge 

Released: December 7, 2012

Publisher: Old Man in the CrossWalk Productions 

Paperback, 188 pages 

Beth was sneaky. No lock could hold her. No cage could confine her. No door could bar her way. But, when your adoptive mother is a Spirit Binder, and all your siblings are elementals, being sneaky doesn’t really rank.

That is until the devastation of a city draws her omniscient mother’s attention, and her siblings go missing one by one, then Beth’s sneakiness is the only thing standing between her, her loved ones, and the worst enemy she’ll ever face: herself.

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Time Walker is a 50,000-word young adult fantasy novel filled with magic, angst, and a kiss of romance. Loyalty and the bond between siblings, whether blood-related or not, is the backbone of this coming of age tale set a thousand years after spirit (aka magic) rises to take back the world in an apocalyptic event. It is the first book in the Spirit Bound series.

Written by Meghan Ciana Doidge (After The Virus, Spirit Binder) the novel begins ten years after the events of Spirit Binder, and though it's not necessary to read Spirit Binder before reading Time Walker it may give some extra background to the world and adult characters. Spirit Binder is written for a mature young adult or adult audience. --Goodreads

4 Stars

Review:

What makes the fantasy genre so magical is the magic a person finds within each book. A large majority of fantasy novels, YA or adult, contain vivid scenery with swooping medieval castles; rounded out characters full of angst and love; and best of all, the hocus pocus that makes the impossible happen. Time Walker was a powerful fantasy book that surprisingly enraptured me while reading and tested the limits for some societal issues.

The world of Time Walker is one with immense magical capabilities. Literally. Nearly all of the characters introduced are prodigious magic users who can manipulate their surroundings. However, Beth is not one of them. Unlike the rest of her adoptive family members, Beth only seems to have the power to unlock locks with her mind. It is a handy power, but by no means even close to the powers that her siblings and parents have, ranging from controlling people's feelings to controlling the elements. In a way, Time Walker is one of those underdog stories, with Beth rising up from the ashes to totally kick the evil's butt. Still, there is way more to the story that just draws the reader in so easily.

Antagonists are so easy to dislike and it is definitely no exception here. However, the conflict between Beth and her foe is one that runs so deep, so it is frightening to read. I have never felt so desperate and anxious for a heroine in a long time until now. Beth is a fierce heroine that is easily likable and root-able (?). While she does make many mistakes along the way, her resolve to save her family from the entity kidnapping her family members is what makes her stand out. Unlike many other heroines whose words don't follow their actions, Beth keeps her word and stays consistent throughout the novel. With so many weak, push-over heroines out there in the YA book world, it's refreshing to have a kick-butt female protagonist to root for.

Many of the mistakes that are made throughout the novel are ones that test the boundaries of morals. We see  one example in Beth having a crush on her adoptive brother. Although they are technically not blood-related, it can become quite uncomfortable to see Beth yearning for her brother. This "incest" isn't really portrayed in a positive or negative light, which is a nice change from the typical societal rant. Despite this mini-rant, the true focus of this book isn't the "incest," it's the familial love that we see between Beth and her siblings. I do say that there are so many siblings to keep track of, so at times I was extremely confused over who was who. It isn't something that major in the plot of the book, but the many references left me flipping back to match the faces to the powers.

My only truly serious complaint about Time Walker is the under-development of many of the characters. Besides Beth and her love interest, Finn, it was extremely difficult to understand the decisions of many characters. I never really understood the siblings or the mother of this enormous family, Theo, but I expect to find out more in the spin-off, Spirit Binder, which is to focus on Theo's childhood. Part of the problem was having too many siblings to keep track of. There wasn't really too many children, but there was more than enough for a shorter book. 

Time Walker is a book that will completely take you over for the few pages that it has. The advantage of shorter stories is that they tend to have all of the unnecessary details chopped out. This book was extremely short, as seen by the 188 pages, and every page of dialogue or action was so worth it. While the ending was neatly wrapped with a bowtie, many other questions lie ahead that I cannot wait to discover in Spirit Bound. If anyone likes fantasy, I would totally recommend this book for a refreshing change in the YA fantasy with the girl leading the way, like a true warrior. Ending this powerful book full of revenge, incest, and hatred, is a neatly tied up prologue that leaves nothing remaining, thankfully. I beg you, if you enjoy reading, you need to try this book as soon as possible.

Purchase Time Walker here: Amazon (Kindle)/ B&N (Nook)

Review: Fast Forward by Juliet Madison

Fast Forward 

by Juliet Madison

Published February 1st 2013 

Publisher: Escape Publishing

eBook, 218 pages

Aspiring supermodel Kelli Crawford seems destined to marry her hotshot boyfriend, but on her 25th birthday she wakes in the future as a fifty-year-old suburban housewife married to the now middle-aged high school nerd.

Trapped in the opposite life of the one she wanted, Kelli is forced to re-evaluate her life and discover what is really important to her. Will she overcome the hilarious and heartbreaking challenges presented to her and get back to the body of her younger self? Or will she be stuck in the nightmare of hot flushes, demanding children, raunchy advances from her husband, and hideous support underwear forever?--Goodreads

Awesome book! 5 Stars! 

Review

I accidentally came upon this book while on Goodreads and I ended up purchasing the novel and finishing it in one sitting!

Kelli comes off as conceited and a bit rude at first, but she grows on you! She was actually really funny. I laughed at her freak outs :) She tends to exaggerate a lot, especially when she went bungee-jumping with her son. Kelli's overly active imagination made this book a fun and light read. Thank goodness I didn't read this in public or otherwise people would think I'm a lunatic since I was smiling like a lunny for most of the book.

Since Kelli was sent to the future, there were tons of new technology. The technology were really cool! There was a built-in coffee maker in the car!!! The car had auto-drive! And it talks to you! I for one can not wait for the future :)

The novel was funny, but it also taught an important lesson. Reading this novel just made me appreciate life and all it has to offer. I'm the kind of person that constantly wonders what if? What if I turned in that assignment on time, would I've gotten a better grade in the class? What if I splurged and got that cute shirt? I'm also a huge planner. I have a plan for my future and intend to follow through with it. I also get stress out when things don't go according to my plans. The funny thing with life is that you never know. The only thing you can do is live your life and have fun doing so. As the kids would say, YOLO. (you only live once!)

Purchase this novel at: Amazon (Kindle)  / B&N (Nook) / KOBO

Review: Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Waterfall (River of Time #1) 

By Lisa Tawn Bergren

Publish: February 1st 2011 

Publisher: David C. Cook

Kindle Edition, 386 pages

What do you do when your knight in shining armor lives, literally, in a different world? 

Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives among the romantic hills with their archaelogist parents. Stuck among the rubble of the medieval castles in rural Tuscany, on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds...until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces. 

Suddenly Gabi's summer in Italy is much, much more interesting.--Goodreads

5 Stars!

Review:

This novel was perfect! I LOVE everything about it!

The character chemistry was awesome! Gabi was fierce! She kind of reminded me of the character Katsa from Graceling by Kristin Cashore, another novel I love very much! So Gabi and Lia venture into one of the tombs in Italy and find two handprints. The girls put their hands on the prints and find, to their surprise, that their hands fit perfectly and that the stone is warm? Then the stone gets to be burning hot and next thing they know they are in medieval times, but Gabi doesn't see Lia in the tomb with her anymore. Although the novel is about Gabi trying to find her sister Lia, the adventure and action that occur while trying to find her sister is both engaging and highly entertaining. Gabi seems to get herself into trouble a lot, but Marcello is usually there to help her out, although Gabi is not by any means weak or anything, she just gets into trouble a lot. Did I mention that Gabi has a wicked sense of humor? Her jokes and sarcastic thoughts are hilarious! :)

I liked Lia's character as well, but we didn't see her much. Hopefully we'll see her more in the second novel! Luca was also awesome! Luca develops a crush on Lia, but Lia doesn't seem to return the feelings, but who knows what will happen in the second novel! Can't wait to read more about Luca and Lia in the second novel! 

Gabi and Lia aka the She-Wolves of Siena! I can't wait to read more about them in book 2! This is definitely in my top 10 of 2012!

Purchase this novel at: Amazon / B&N / TBD

Cover Reveal and Book Trailer: Timespell by Diana Paz

Timespell by Diana Paz 

Expected Publication: April 1, 2013 

Publisher: Rhemalda Publisher 

In TIMESPELL, the brash and impulsive Julia must team up with her sweet and straight-laced best friend, Angie, and the malicious and power-hungry Kaitlyn in order to keep the witch-like powers of her inheritance. But these powers come at a cost. The girls are bound to serve the Fates, and their first mission sends them back in time to Marie Antoinette’s Paris and eventually, into the chaos and war of the French Revolution.

Book Trailer

                      Author Bio

Diana Paz writes books about magic, adventure, and romance. She was born in Costa Rica, grew up on Miami Beach, moved to Los Angeles in high school, and went to college in San Diego. Basically, she’s a beach bum. Diana graduated from California State University, San Marcos with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts. She loves old movies, epic fantasy, all kinds of music, and heading to the beach with a good book. Preferably sipping a highly sweetened iced coffee.

Check out her links!
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Review: Portal by Imogen Rose

Portal (Portal Chronicles #1) 

by Imogen Rose

Published: January 23, 2010

Self-Published

KOBO, 221 Pages

Come Find Me Two Years Ago... 

Six words that propelled ice hockey playing tomboy, Arizona, into an alternate dimension. 

She suddenly found herself in the past. In one moment she went from being an ice hockey playing teenager in New Jersey to a glamorous cheerleader in California. She found herself transported from a happy life with her dad, Dillard, to a new, strange one living with her mother whom she hates. Apparently it's a life she's always lived in. 

Everyone knows her as Arizona Darley, but she isn't. She is Arizona Stevens. 

As she struggles to find answers she is certain of one thing- that her mother Olivia, a brilliant physicist, is somehow responsible. . 

PORTAL is the story of the repercussions of Olivia Darley's attempt at creating a perfect world for herself and her children. Arizona's quest for answers threatens to undermine the seemingly perfect world that her mother has so carefully constructed. --Goodreads

4 Stars

Review:

I really liked this novel, despite the fact that I was very confused until half-way through the book. It took me a while to figure out everything. I liked how Portal alternates between Olivia's(Arizona's mom) and Arizona's points of view. The Olivia parts really added to the story, instead of me just thinking Oliva was extremely selfish in that she did all of that just so she can get the guy. But it wasn't just that, she cares a lot about her kids as well, and her dog; she went back for her dog! Ahh I thought that was so cute!

Arizona and I kind of got off to a rough start. At first I did not like her because I thought that she was a brat and extremely rude to her mother, but that was the first chapter. After I got more into the book, I really liked Arizona. I love her far-fetched scenarios, although they were very pessimistic, it was true teenage thinking and they were quite entertaining to read. Arizona is very tom-boyish (or should I say was?), so it was a complete surprise to her when she started to develop girly tendencies because "Barbie Arizona" was showing through. Reading about the shocks that she had about that, really made me LOL, so to speak. 

Harry (was he named after Harry Potter because the parents have a HP book that they and Harry read to Ella before bedtime, so I'm inferring that they are HP fans... If Harry was named after J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter that would be so cool!) and Kellan are very protective over Arizona, which was so sweet! But (sadly there's always a but) they were too over-protective. Obviously Arizona can take care of herself, but I guess in this dimension, she can't,  so now when she can Harry and Kellan still protect her because they have never met the Arizona who can take care of herself. (Does this make sense to you guys? Hopefully it does!) Anyway, the guys totally flip out when they find out that Arizona is trying out for the ice hockey team, which was a bit unnecessary. 

Ella was the best supporting character! She's eight and she's a ball of delight! I want a little sister now! She was a really good sibling and overall she was a good, nice kid.

The sci-fi time-traveling aspect to this book was the best. I wish Portal went a little more into detail about the actual time-traveling, but Portal the way it is now, was a very good read and I would recommend it.

After finishing this book I had some unanswered questions. What did Larry gain from this portal time traveling thing? I understood what Olivia had to gain, a perfect family and an overall amazing life, but what did Larry, the brains behind the whole portal have to gain? What happened to Simla and Justin? Are Justin's parents involved in the portal business like everyone elses? The epilogue, oh the epilogue! That just made a few more questions. Well this is only book one, so I NEED to read book two. I need to find answers to these questions! Well I think it's official to say that I am pumped to read book two!

Purchase Portal at: Amazon / Barnes&Noble / The Book Depository 

Review: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

 Ruby Red (Edelstein Trilogy #1)

By Kerstin Gier, Translated by Anthea Bell

Release Date: May 10, 2011
Publisher: Square Fish
Paperback, 352 pages

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust. -- Goodreads

 4.5 stars

Review

Time traveling is always one of those things that is a must in sci-fi novels, movies and TV series, but rarely features girls as the ones time traveling. It's always the guys running around time, getting lost and screwing around with the balance of time. Because of this, I was a little worried when I tried out Ruby Red. I mean, what if it all went completely wrong? Gladly, I discovered that there is a reason why the words "The International Bestseller" were on the cover of Ruby Red.

Ruby Red is one of those underdog stories. You know, the kind that have a person that no one expects anything out of do the unexpected that amazes people unbelievably. Gwyneth is a character who shows growth as she has to face the hardships of trying to meet everyone's expectations and gaining their approval. All of the other characters are there to support Gwyneth as a dynamic character and they do their job perfectly.

Unfortunately at times, certain characters did their job perfectly in forcing the changes onto Gwyneth, but their actions are too extreme. For example, when Gwyneth reveals to everyone that she, not Charlotte, inherited the time traveling gene, Charlotte's mother, goes on a rampage. She literally starts cussing out her sister, Gwyneth's mother, for lying and goes on by insulting Gwyneth repeatedly. I can understand that as a mother with high expectations,  she would be angry and upset. Still, the extremely cruel words that were spoken were too extreme.

The world-building in Ruby Red is amazing. Many of the time traveling elements in Ruby Red were rather creepy, but otherwise, the time traveling was a fun experience to read about. Kerstin Gier made an overused concept unique in her own way. In addition, the historical aspects of Ruby Red were true to their time and fascinated me. Things that usually bore me, such as fashion, were portrayed in such a fascinating manner. I still cannot believe that the author managed to have me engaged when describing clothes.

Overall, Ruby Red is an extremely satisfying novel. Gwyneth's narration is one that is perfect for such a mysterious tale of time travel. She was able to make situations teeming with tension become amusing to read. Full of humor, adventure and twists, Ruby Red exceeded my expectations and has left me dying for the sequel, Sapphire Blue.  

Purchase this book: Amazon/ Barnes&Nobles/ The Book Depository