The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (The Darkest Minds book 1)

The Darkest Minds book 1

“When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.” taken from Goodreads.com

This is one of those books that has been on my TBR list for the past five years. I knew that I wanted to start this series over the summer since book four as well as the movie is coming out later this summer. I picked this book up on a whim because I was without a new book when I just finished the last one but I had my phone with me. My question is, why did I wait so long to start this series? I was quickly sucked in.

The author was born and raised in Arizona but attended the College of William and Mary here in Virginia. I was fascinated by the fact that our main character Ruby is from Salem. I loved when Ruby and her companions traveled down I-81 from Harrisonburg to Roanoke before heading east, especially since it's in our backyard. I was mesmerized by Ruby's journey of self-discovery and attempting to overcome her fears about her psi ability. While the ending may be a be a bit cliched, of course, this is an older book so others probably used her idea, I still loved the book and I cannot wait to start the next book or to see the movie.

SPOILER ALERT! Stop! Don’t read any further if you don’t want the story ruined.

Never Fade book 2

“Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster. 

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her. 

As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?” - taken from Goodreads.com

So much happened in this book after Liam and Ruby parted ways when she joined the League. New characters are introduced and old favorites are pulled back into Ruby story. Jaw-dropping revelations occur leaving readers waiting for the next book.

In the Afterlight book 3

“Ruby can't look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government's attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. With them is a prisoner: Clancy Gray, son of the president, and one of the few people Ruby has encountered with abilities like hers. Only Ruby has any power over him, and just one slip could lead to Clancy wreaking havoc on their minds. 

They are armed only with a volatile secret: proof of a government conspiracy to cover up the real cause of IAAN, the disease that has killed most of America's children and left Ruby and others like her with powers the government will kill to keep contained. But internal strife may destroy their only chance to free the "rehabilitation camps" housing thousands of other Psi kids.

Meanwhile, reunited with Liam, the boy she would-and did-sacrifice everything for to keep alive, Ruby must face the painful repercussions of having tampered with his memories of her. She turns to Cole, his older brother, to provide the intense training she knows she will need to take down Gray and the government. But Cole has demons of his own, and one fatal mistake may be the spark that sets the world on fire.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Ruby is reeling from the events that occurred at the end of book 2. Without spoiling what turned out to be an incredible and satisfying ending, I'm glad that I finally picked the series up off my TBR pile, just in time for the movie.

Through the Dark books 1.5, 2.5 & 3.5

This collection contains three novellas: In Time, Sparks Rise, and Beyond the Night.

IN TIME 

Gabe's life has been devastated in the wake of the economic crash. The only option left for someone like him to escape his tragic past is to leave his small town behind and to attempt to become a skiptracer. This already almost-impossible task is made all the more difficult by his first "score,"a young girl who won't speak, but who changes his life in ways he could never imagine. 

SPARKS RISE 

Sam didn't think things could get worse at Thurmand rehabilitation camp. Then the Reds arrive. Everyone assumed the kids with firepower had been killed years ago. Instead they were taken away, brainwashed, and returned as terrifyingly effective guards. To her horror, Sam recognizes one of them: Lucas, the one spark of light in Sam's dark childhood. Lucas has a deadly secret--he beat the brutal training that turned his fellow Reds into mindless drones. When Sam defends herself against an attack by a vile PSF guard and faces a harrowing punishment, Lucas must risk everything to save her. 

BEYOND THE NIGHT 

The government-run "rehabilitation camps" have been shut down, but kids with Psi powers are anything but free. Sam would rather be on her own than put in the care of a foster family and given the "cure"--a dangerous procedure that unclaimed kids across the country are being forced to undergo. But there's more at stake than just her own safety. Sam once made someone a promise, and the time has come to fulfill it. Now that she's out of her camp, Mia only has one thought in her head: finding Lucas, her beloved older brother. - taken from Goodreads.com

Visit Alexandra Bracken’s website.Visit The Darkest Minds website.

Seeker by Veronica Rossi (Riders book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Riders, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Check out Book Series Recaps for refresher on the first book.

“When Daryn claimed she was seeing visions during her sophomore year of high school, no one believed the truth. She wasn't losing her mind, she was gaining the Sight the ability to see the future. If she just paid attention to the visions, they'd provide her with clues and show her how she could help people. Really help them. Daryn embraced her role as a Seeker. The work she did was important. She saved lives.

Until Sebastian.

Sebastian was her first and worst mistake.

Since the moment she inadvertently sealed him in a dark dimension with Samrael the last surviving demon in the Kindred guilt has plagued her. Daryn knows Sebastian is alive and waiting for help. It's up to her to rescue him. But now that she needs the Sight more than ever to guide her, the visions have stopped.

Daryn must rely on her instincts, her intelligence, and on blind faith to lead the riders who are counting on her in search of Sebastian. As they delve into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems and where Samrael is steadily amassing power, Daryn faces the ultimate test. Will she have to become evil to destroy evil? The very fate of humankind rests in the answer.” - taken from Goodreads.com

The ending to this duology turned out to be a satistfying end to the story that fans will devour.

Visit Veronica Rossi’s website.

Perfect Lies by Kiersten White (Mind Games book 2)

"Two sisters who will do anything to protect each other."

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the first book in the duology, Mind Games, Stop! I don't want to ruin Annie and Fia's story for you.

Fia told Annie to play dead; it was part of the plan. She is lying on the ground when a man checks her pulse and asks if she is okay. She whispers that she is pretending to play dead. He picks her up and tells the onlookers that his sister had an epileptic seizure. He carries her to a building and snaps at her when she asks about the plan. He seems as clueless as her. Fia's cell phone rings in Annie's pocket and she answers. She immediately recognizes the voice as Adam's. Trusting Fia's perfect instincts, Annie tells him who she is. Adam assumes that she is with Fia and promises to come pick the two of them up. The man who carried her takes the phone and talks. Annie cannot hear what the two of them say. The conversation ends and he tells Annie that Fia is not coming for her and that he is not helping Fia either. He has been following Fia and he thought she had murdered Annie and he didn't stop her. Adam and a woman rush in to Annie and ask where Fia is. Annie tells them she had a plan, don't they know what it is. No one knows what Fia will do next.

Now with the Lerner group, Annie is in hiding with them. Never staying in one place long, Annie has a vision of Fia looking fondly at a sleeping James Keane. She realizes that Fia sacrificed her freedom for Annie's and that she isn't coming back for her. Fia and James are playing a dangerous game with his father. While Annie is working with the Lerner group for a way to bring down the Keane Foundation, Fia and James are attempting to do the same thing from the inside. James is the only person she feels that she can trust. Unfortunately, Fia is given an assignment; see if the new girl is really trustworthy. Soon, Fia finds that she is willing to protect Pixie at all costs; even though she knows Fia's darkest secret.

Can the Keane Foundation be stopped? Will Annie and Fia find their way back to each other? Who is Pixie? Can Fia trust James? Will both girls find happiness and a life worth living?

Told in alternating viewpoints from both Annie, weeks leading to the big event to Fia, just hours, reader will get a glimpse that brings the sisters to a meeting with Destiny.

Visit Kiersten White’s website.

Imposter by Jill Hathaway (Slide book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book Slide, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the series for you.

“What if a killer were in control of you?”

Six months have passed since Vee Bell's first love Zane was killed in a car accident while his crazy mother was driving. Vee is able to slide into others when she touches something of theirs that they have left a strong emotional imprint on. Now she is having nightmares of the accident that she witnessed while in Zane’s mind but now she is in the place of Zane. Her sister Mattie knows of Zane's death and nothing of her sliding ability. Only her best friend Rollins knows the truth about Vee. She has even gained some of control of her abilities in which she can slide into someone she chooses.

While listening to Rollins' radio debut one night, sleep wins out. Unfortunately Vee wakes up in not another dream about Zane's car crash but a real car crash in which she was driving her father's car. Five miles out of town and without her phone, she starts to walk towards home. The first car she encounters is her nemesis, Scott “Scotch” Becker and her former best friend Samantha is drunk in the back seat. Scott offers her a ride but she runs off. He leaves. The next car that comes along is driven by an older woman and Vee accepts her offer of a ride. She wakes up in her driveway bewildered because she doesn't recall telling the woman where she lives. Her father is furious that she snuck out of the house with his car. She explains that she was “sleep driving” and woke up when she wrecked the car. Reassuring her father that she is fine, Vee goes to her room and calls Rollins. He is furious at first but listens when she tells him that she thinks someone slid into her, forcing her to drive the car. She also tells him about the woman who drove her home. Rollins suggests that maybe she didn't remember telling the woman where she lives. They hang up and it's a long time before Vee falls asleep.

The next morning, Vee and Mattie catch a ride to school with Rollins. He talks about his radio show and mentions a girl named Anna. She meets up with Rollins at his locker and Vee is suddenly jealous. Anna looks much more like Rollins' type and they seem friendly. In class, Vee cannot help but notice Samantha’s disheveled appearance. She tries to be friendly in an attempt to see if she can find out what happened between her and Scott the night before. Samantha isn't buying into Vee's sudden concern. Deciding to slide into Scott to see if she can find out anything, she is shocked that he is talking about running into her on the side of the road and she was begging for him. Angry, Vee talks control of Scott's body and makes him say humiliating things about himself. At the end of school, Rollins confronts her about why she did it. After telling him, Rollins lets her know that he'll defend her honor if he ever catches Scott talking about her. Inviting him over for their usual Friday movie night, he vaguely tells her he has other things to do first. Vee is a bit disappointed.

During movie night, Vee works up the courage to try and finally admit her feelings for Rollins hoping that he still feels the same way about her. Leaning in her a kiss, Rollins wants to know what she is doing. Nothing she says and he makes an excuse to leave. Devastated, she goes to the bathroom to cry. The doorbell rings and she pulls herself together thinking that Rollins has come back. Instead, Vee is shocked to see a woman resembling her dead mother standing at the door. It turns out that her mother's long lost sister has come for a visit. Mattie is thrilled to meet her aunt for the first time and her father is going to let her stay for a few weeks. After settling down for the night, Vee wakes up to loud crashing coming from the living room. She is shocked to find her father smashing picture frames. She calls out to him and he turns towards her with a dazed expression on his face. It reminds her of when it felt like someone else had slid into her body and taken control. His expression clears and he asks Vee what is going on. He doesn't remember what he was doing. Vee begins to think someone is sliding into her and her father and that someone just may be the person who showed up on their doorstep that night, her aunt Lydia.

Vee and Samantha enlist the help of Mattie and her friend Regina to extract a little revenge on Scotch. The plan is to get him at a popular overlook and leave him stranded without any clothes. Vee plan is to slide into Scotch's body to get him to strip naked. When Vee is in Scotch's body, she sees herself and someone has slid into her own body. Close to the edge of the drop off, Vee as Scotch tries to keep herself from falling. She blacks out as she tries to take control of her own body. When Vee wakes up, she is horrified to see Scotch's body on the rocks below the cliff.

Who really killed Scotch and why? Will Vee be blamed for his death? Who is sliding into Vee and her father? What are they hoping to accomplish? Why has Lydia suddenly appeared at the Bell's doorstep? Who is the strange woman who drove Vee home the night she wrecked her father's car? Will Vee ever tell Rollins her true feelings, even if it means risking their friendship?

Visit Jill Hathaway's website.

Mind Games by Kiersten White

“They stole her past. She won’t let them take her future.”

Annabelle and Sofia were orphaned when their parents died in a car accident. Blind, Annie had her first vision that night of the crash. Hysterical, the babysitter calls their parents to come home. They never made it. Left with an uncaring aunt, their lives change dramatically two years later when Annie is offered a full scholarship to attend an elite private school by the Keane Foundation. Thrilled by the promise of a customized one-on-one education and career preparation, Annie will also receive medical help in an attempt to reverse her blindness. Fia realizes that something about the situation isn’t right. Fia is allowed to stay at the school with Annie. Annie sees visions of the future but Fia has perfect intuition and both girls are about to be used by the Keane Foundation.

Five years have passed and Fia has been sent out on a hit. Fia knows that Annie’s life is on the line. When she first sees her mark, he is helping a puppy and her resolve to kill him is immediately shattered. Looking at him, Fia knows she has put all three of their lives in jeopardy. The mark introduces himself as Adam and is pleased to learn that Fia is only seventeen. He is nineteen and studying to be a doctor. Trying to get him to safety, Fia realizes that they are being followed by three men. Leading Adam into an alley, they follow and Fia quickly assesses the situation. She is able to subdue them but not before getting shot in the arm.

Making a call to James, the son of Mr. Keane, she lets him know that the mark is dead but that she ran into trouble. The men are incapacitated and to cover their tracks, they will dispose of the body. She was shot in the arm but is fine. She can get back home by herself. Fia lets Adam bandage her arm and she stuns the driver of the men’s getaway car. Thinking through plans for Adam while she is driving, the pain in her arm becomes too much. She pulls over to let Adam drive and he gives her something for the pain. She falls asleep.

Waking up, the past several hours come rushing back. Adam apologizes for giving her too much pain medication but lets her know that he now believes her story. Between rifling through her purse and asking her questions that she mumbled answers to, he figures out what is going on. Both feeling slightly embarrassed, Adam lets her know that he is actually a doctor, not studying to become one. He finished school early and really is only nineteen. Adam is currently working in a research project studying brain scans. His aunt claimed to be psychic and her MRI results showed differences from a “normal” scan. He wants to expand his study and Fia and Annie sound like the perfect subjects. Fia tells him she has no special abilities.

Heading into Chicago, Fia makes plans for Adam to disappear. Throwing away his phone and wallet, she gives him all of her cash. She tells him to find a motel room and get an email account that they both can access to communicate with one another. Stay hidden. Fia heads back to school and hopes that she can keep her thoughts to herself so no one will learn of her deception.

Who or what is the Keane Foundation? What is their purpose? Why do they want Adam dead? What are they using Fia and Annie for? Who were the three men looking for; Fia or Adam? Will Fia be able to keep her secrets hidden? What happens when someone discovers that Adam isn’t dead? Will Fia and Annie ever be able to escape from the Keane Foundation?

Told in both Annie and Fia’s points of view, alternating between the present and the past, Fia slowly discovers that Annie hasn’t been completely truthful with her. The second book in the Mind Games series comes out in 2014.

Visit Kiersten White’s website.

Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting (Body Finder book 4)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first three books in the series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the series for you.

“Sometimes the dead can’t be silenced.”

Violet Ambrose is struggling to put her life back together after the events in The Last Echo. She now lives with an ever-present imprint of her own. Forced by Dr. Lee to stay in the FBI team led by Sara Priest, he keeps check on her weekly through unproductive office visits. The only true help he is able to provide Violet is the pills that allow her to sleep, drowning out the imprint. She has stopped her visits to the team’s center. She closed herself off from all of her friends over the summer despite their attempts to reach out to her. Her parents and boyfriend Jay are concerned by her behavior but allow Violet her space.

The start of senior year of high school brings a major surprise for Violet and Jay. Two new students have enrolled, Rafe and Gemma. Violet is further dismayed to find Rafe shares the majority of her classes. Turns out Dr. Lee is responsible for their transfers. Violet isn’t keeping her end of their bargain and fully committing to the team. She will work with Sara priest and the others. Dr. Lee continues to threaten to harm her friends and family.

In an attempt to get into the swing of things, Violet agrees to meet her friends at the lake. On her way there, two echoes cause her to take a detour to follow them. Finding herself at a locked gate to the house, Violet decides to check out the scene herself instead of calling for backup. Inside the house, she discovers three bodies but only two echoes. She knows the only person she can call is Rafe and calling him means letting Sara know as well. She persuades her Uncle Stephen to let her visit the scene again. Placed on a couch are a man, woman and little boy. Violet notices again that the little boy doesn’t have an echo. In looking around the house, she sees a photo on the refrigerator of a young couple dressed for a dance. Not knowing who the girl is, they assume she is the dead couple’s daughter, who is missing. Violet recognizes the boy in the photo. It is Grady Spencer, the boy who tried to forcibly kiss her at a party last year. She lets her Uncle Stephen know.

Back at home, Violet’s mother has found a box of keepsakes that belonged to Violet’s grandmother, the one she shares her ability with. Digging around, she discovers that her grandmother kept journals for many years. At first, she believes reading them would be an invasion of privacy but her grandmother is the only other person she knows who had the same ability. Getting a glimpse into her life, Violet realizes why she didn’t get an echo from the little boy. Calling Sara, she asks if the little boy was missing his heart. Shocked, Sara tells her he was and Violet lets her in on her suspicions.

Uncle Stephen stops by to inform Violet that Grady is a suspect. Even after all that happened between them, Violet doesn’t believe that he is the killer. She goes by his house just to check if he carries an echo. She is relieved her doesn’t but is bothered by the fact that everyone at school gossips about him. Rumors are also going around about the student who discovered the bodies. Violet’s name isn’t mentioned but her friend Chelsea voices her suspicions to Violet.

If Grady isn’t the killer, then who is? What other secrets about her grandmother does Violet uncover by reading her journals? What is Dr. Lee adamant about Violet not quitting the team? Will Chelsea uncover Violet’s secrets? Can Rafe and Jay put aside their differences to be there when Violet needs them?

Visit Kimberly Derting’s website.

Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Caster Chronicles book 4)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the third book in the series, Beautiful Chaos, Stop! I don't want to ruin the story for you.

"Is death the end ... or only the beginning."

In the aftermath of the climatic events at the end of Beautiful Chaos, Ethan Wate is forced to leave everyone and everything he had ever cared about behind. On a journey to head back to the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, Ethan must complete a seemingly impossible task.


Back home in Gatlin, Lena must work with her friends, family and even trust long-time enemies to bring Ethan home to those who love him and to rectify the shocking events that occurred during the Eighteenth Moon.

What is the reason for the events that caused Ethan to be separated from those he loves? Can Lena rally those on Gatlin who can help bring Ethan home? And what price will Ethan and Lena ultimately pay?

With twists, turns and unexpected developments occurring up until the end, readers will be satisfied with how the events in Gatlin are wrapped up. The film version of Beautiful Creatures will be out in theaters on February 13, 2013.

Visit the Beautiful Creatures novels website.

Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

With the nuclear destruction of the Earth, what is left of humanity now lives in subterranean communities. Everyone at birth is implanted with a port that connects with a V-chip located at the base of the brain. The V-chip connects each person with the Link. With no emotions, thoughts or actions of their own, humans are nothing more than mindless robots. Order first, order always is the motto everyone lives by. Anomalies are rare and almost always fixable. In extreme cases where anomalies cannot be repaired, humans are deactivated.
Zoe has been experiencing glitches with her connection to the Link for two months now. Vowing each day to report the problem to a Regulator, her unknown view of the world around her is too stimulating to give up. While waiting on a subway train one day, Zoe sees a young girl starting to fall from the platform onto the tracks below. Unable to stop herself, she is able to save the young girl from certain death by levitating her back onto the plat5from. Zoe fears the secret of her glitching and the power of telekinesis is out when she sees a green-eyed boy watching her.
While in class at the Academy, Zoe experiences another glitch. She is almost caught when the teacher asks her why she is not responding to her page. Gathering her things, she reports to the room where an older man waits for her. She knows her gig is up when the man informs her that he is there to check her Link. He is starting the test when the green-eyed boy comes into the room. After subduing the man, he flees into the hidden tunnels with Zoe. Climbing up a long flight of stairs, Zoe and Adrien come to a door that leads to the surface. Adrien is about to open the door when Zoe panics. All of her live she has been told that the world above ground is too toxic for humans. Adrien tells her that it is all a lie and most of the Community government buildings are above ground. When Adrien mentions the Resistance is comprised of people with gifts like hers, he lets her know that is able to see the future and that is how he was able to locate her. Zoe is still terrified and wants to turn herself in. Adrien lets her know that painful experimentation not deactivation will be her life.
With time running out, Zoe realizes what her options really are. She could go back to the Community to face deactivation or head to the surface with the possibility of dying in the toxic environment. “Or just maybe, having a chance to escape.” Zoe decides to go with Adrien.
Can Adrien be trusted? What is really on the surface? Why has the Community lied about everything and kept its citizens numb through the Link? Who exactly is the resistance and what is their purpose? How man y others have special gifts like Zoe and Adrien? What happens when Zoe has to assimilate herself back into the Community? Who notices that Zoe is glitching and what does she do when they reveal their gift? And what happens when Zoe remains disconnected from the Link and begins to not only experience human emotions for the first time but finds herself in the midst of a love triangle?

Book two in the Glitch trilogy, Override is due out February 19, 2013.

Visit Heather Anastasiu's website.

Timepiece by Myra McEntire (Hourglass book 2)

"A threat from the past could destroy the future."

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read Hourglass, Stop! I don't want to ruin one of my favorite series for you.

Kaleb Ballard’s parents were time travelers, just like his friends Emerson Cole and Michael Weaver. Kaleb’s ability is empathy, to sense emotions of his close friends and those he touches. Now Kaleb and Emerson’s lives have been changed forever by his father’s former partner, Jack Landers. Jack manipulated time to bring Emerson to Ivy Springs, Tennessee after the accident that caused the death of her parents. He also killed Kaleb’s father and stole enough memories from his mother to land her into a coma. Now Jack is on the loose and time travel seems to be in flux.

Only those with the time travel gene were able to see rips; people “stuck in time superimposed on the present”’ but now Kaleb is seeing them as well. On the night that Emerson’s brother hosts a masquerade party at his restaurant, Kaleb sees rips everywhere. When Jack appears with a gun, Kaleb seeks revenge for those he loves and cares about. Jack tells Kaleb that “killing him would be the worst mistake of his life.” The gun fires which breaks a mirror and Jack disappears. Kaleb then notices a man entering the restaurant through a veil. He says his name is Poe and he is there to deliver a message to the Hourglass. Their actions in going back in time to first save Liam Ballard and then Michael have disrupted the time travel continuum. He grabs Emerson, pulls her into the veil with him and threatens to slit her throat. Poe further states that Emerson’s ignorance of the law is no excuse for her saving Michael without suffering the consequences. He slits her throat and tells Kaleb to find Jack Landers in order to have any hope of repairing the damage. If the Hourglass is successful, they can choose which timeline they wish to follow. If Jack isn’t located, time will be rewound and a timeline will be chosen for them. There is a possibility that the timeline could be repaired with no consequences to Liam, Michael or Emerson’s lives. The Hourglass has until midnight on October 31 to find Jack Landers. Poe pushes Emerson out of the veil to Kaleb and she is unharmed.

What has happened to the time travel continuum? Who is Poe working for and what do they want Jack Landers for? Can Jack be found in time? Why would Kaleb killing Jack be a mistake? Will Kaleb’s mother wake up from her coma? Can Kaleb repair his relationships with his father and Michael? And what timeline will the Hourglass choose to follow if they are successful?

The story of the Hourglass will conclude with Infinityglass in 2013.

Once again I feel in love with Myra McEntire’s story. A bit skeptical at first changing POV, I loved Kaleb through all of his faults and becoming is own man. Cannot wait to see where the final book goes!


Visit Myra McEntire's website.
Visit Murphy's Law Coffee, a fan site for the Hourglass series.

The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting (Body Finder book 3)

SPOILER ALERT!: If you haven’t read the first two book s in the series, The Body Finder and Desires of the Dead, Stop! I don’t want to ruin this series for you.

“In the end, all that’s left is an echo.”

Life has dramatically changed since Violet Ambrose began working with Sara Priest and her team of others like herself with psychic abilities. Between high school and spending time with her boyfriend Jay, she is now using her ability to locate bodies that have met with violent ends. For the first time, she doesn’t feel like a freak and now sees that she could truly do something productive with her ability. Even though her teammates’ abilities are still a mystery to her, Violet feels as if she has found a place to fit in. The only problem is Rafe. Violet feels a connection to him but is confused and a bit disturbed by her feelings, especially when the others say he is a different person around her. It doesn’t help matters when Rafe begins to cause some conflict in her relationship with Jay Heaton.When the team begins working on the case of a serial murderer that has been dubbed “the collector” because of the way he cares for his victims, Violet feels that maybe she could use her ability to stop him before he strikes again. What she fails to realize is that “the collector” has set his sights on her.

Will Violet be able to stop “the collector” before she is his next victim? Who exactly is the mysterious Rafe? What is his psychic ability? Will Violet and Jay be able to salvage their relationship?

Violet’s story will conclude with book four in 2013. In the short story anthology Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions edited by Melissa Marr, Ms. Derting has included a short story that provides readers with a tiny peek into Rafe’s background that is touched upon in this book.

Visit Kimberly Derting’s website.

Slide by Jill Hathaway

“Sometimes you can’t look away.”
Sylvia “Vee” Bell has struggled the last five years since her mother’s death from cancer. She sports pink hair so that she doesn’t look so much like her mother in the mirror. Her highly successful surgeon father is absent a lot and Vee and her younger sister Mattie are frequently left alone. Vee, a former cheerleader, now sits on the sidelines watching Mattie go down her former path. But Vee is hiding a secret. Since her mother’s death, everyone thinks she is suffering from narcolepsy. What really happens to Vee is that she “slides” or slips into someone else’s body and experiences the world through their eyes. Having touched something that has a strong emotional connection to a person determines whose mind Vee is forced to inhabit. And her refusal to tell anyone, especially her best friend Rollins, leaves her alone for fear of being rejected and labeled as crazy.

Vee and her former friend/co-cheerleader Samantha both liked the same guy their sophomore year, Scott Becker. Samantha turned downright nasty when Scott asked Vee to the homecoming dance. Samantha spreads lies and untrue rumors about Vee so she strikes back by getting a fabulous dress to wear. Unfortunately while slow dancing with Scott, Vee realizes she is about to slide and asks him to help her sit down. She passes out before she gets off the dance floor and slides into Samantha. Through Samantha’s eyes, she watches Scott drag her body into the locker room. She comes to finding the new boy in school, Archie Rollins, punching Scott and getting her out. On Monday at school, the rumors run rampant and Samantha begins dating Scott. At lunch, Vee is sitting alone until Rollins joins her and their friendship begins.


When Mattie rejects her best friend Sophie for Amber, a fellow cheerleader, Sophie is hurt. Since Sophie has been dating Scott Becker, Amber decides to spread a naked photograph she has of Sophie on her phone around school. Mattie doesn’t stop her. Later, Vee inadvertently slides into Sophie crying on her bed being comforted by her mother. After a fight on Friday night with Rollins, Vee is left home alone when Mattie and Amber leave to go to a party. Overcome by exhaustion, Vee begins to slide once again after her hand brushes against the calendar page she found taped to the front door. She finds herself back in Sophie’s bedroom but quickly realizes that something is wrong. Vee isn’t in Sophie’s body but rather looking down at Sophie’s dead body. She has slid into the body of her killer and Vee doesn’t know who it is.


The police believe that Sophie’s death was a suicide but Vee knows differently. Unable to tell anyone the truth without divulging her secret and looking crazy, Vee struggles with knowing the truth while her sister suffers thinking she helped drive Sophie to suicide. When Amber turns up dead from an apparent suicide, Vee realizes that maybe her ability could finally be put to good use.


Can Vee figure out who the killer is before she or Mattie becomes the next victim? I really wasn’t expecting the ending of this book. Shocked and saddened but loving the story none the less. I cannot wait to see where Vee’s story goes with book two, Imposter.

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