Review: Furyborn by Claire Legrand

A story crossing two lifetimes and centuries apart, Furyborn is a thoroughly engrossing read. Claire Legrand creates a world with a rich history that we see playing out simultaneously as the future unfolds. The twists lead you questioning everything you thought you knew to be true.  A prophecy binds our two heroines across these centuries that they both struggle against. These two are at once very similar and yet completely different. They have different backgrounds because of how the history of one leads to the future of the other. Yet they are both fighting to protect the ones they love and try to bring about a better future than the one prophesied.
A good story for older teens and young adult types, not so much for the younger set. There is a lot of violence as the title might suggest, but it doesn't overwhelm the story. A very enjoyable read.

Review: Ghost Boy by Stafford Betty

Stafford Betty's Ghost Boy starts out like your typical supernatural YA book. Boy sees ghosts; boy tells people he sees ghosts; trouble ensues. Although there were some plot twists that made the story interesting, overall it seemed to lack a defining story arc and instead became a series of loosely connected short stories. It is a better fit for a young middle school audience than older teenagers. The lead character, Ben, is 12 so that might be a suitable reading age. There were many elements of the story that are appealing to me, but it was a difficult read. The transitions were practically non-existent and the characters were a little too flat. Ben was the only one who had any sort of development and even that was slight. Still, it was a good story with lots of potential.

Review: Akarnae by Lynette Noni

Following the great tradition of ya fantasy school adventures, our heroine finds herself not at the horrible boarding school her parents left her at in order to pursue their own adventure, but instead opens a doorway into a completely different realm. There Alexandra Jennings is enrolled in the Academy learning what to her seems like magic, but her teachers and fellow students call technology. Things are never how they seem and Alex soon learns that she is not there by mistake and she must decide if she is going to face the challenges ahead of her or go back home and try to forget about the world of Medora and the people she met.

A wonderful read for any age. A refreshing change from the school stories involving more romance than adventure. Lynnette Noni creates a captivating tale where boys and girls can be friends without the complications of love being thrown in at every turn. I look forward to the next books in this series and although there may be romance waiting for Alex down the road, I am glad it is not all that her character has been given.

Review: M.C. Morrison's Time Knot

The second book in M. C. Morrison's time traveling series, Time Knot, is rich in a variety of cultures and time periods. It follows the adventures of young Rhory as he is once again recruited to thwart the power grab of another group of time travelers and protect ancient knowledge for future generations. Along the way he makes new friends, meets old aquaintances, and finds himself learning things about history that were not necessarily in his school books.
Although the day was saved, the story ended on a bit of a to be continued with the bad guys regrouping for their next attempt. It is uncertain exactly what their end goal is, but it seems likely that Rhory will be called upon again. A thoroughly enjoyable read for any age and I look forward to the next book.