Blog Archives
The Wizard of Grimmer’s Wharf
The Wizard of Grimmers Wharf by GJ Scherzinger is a fantasy about Padison, who was once Pacolorius, a bright upcoming wizard in a mystical order known as the Greycloaks when a rival fearing his power had him kidnapped and locked away. A fortuitous event frees him from his prison and onto the sea. Since that time, he’s made a quiet life for himself in Grimmers Wharf, until one night, he finds a mysterious woman on the water clinging to life. Padison now not only has to help the woman regain her memories but keep her away from those who would cause her harm. As her secrets come to life, he may find the key to exacting revenge on his old foe.
Scherzinger paints an alluring picture of this world and beyond. He captures this seaside town in whimsical descriptions. Even the realms of mind and spirit are beautifully written, giving readers a vivid image in their minds. In addition, there are some colorful characters that readers will be instantly drawn to that provide the storyline an enjoyable twist, such as Sallen. She is a forceful but loving woman who runs the local eatery that Padison lives above and who aids in keeping the girl’s pursuers at bay.
This engaging book presented a thrilling mystery from the opening pages. There is no slow build-up before our main character is thrown headfirst into the action. Instead, it was expertly communicated and hooked readers to the end. I also like that we get into the heads of not only one of the villains but a lackey as well; these multiple points of view give readers the full story from all sides. Unfortunately, the woman’s attempted killer is kept in the shadows, and readers are left waiting for the reveal till the end.
There were a couple instances where the speaker would say there’s a character coming this way, only to have the fact reiterated in the description of the scene. I felt this made for a repetitive read at times. Nevertheless, this original book is a fun escapade into the fantastic world of Terranova. It has an intriguing mystery with themes of betrayal, politics, and reclaiming your life after darkness. I would recommend this to anybody who wants to be absorbed in an engrossing fantasy adventure.
Pages: 286 | ASIN : B0B672XY87
Ashes, Ashes
Jessica Goeken’s Ashes, Ashes centers around teenage monster slayer, Adrienne Young, as she navigates family drama, high school crushes, and magical responsibilities. Adrienne has more on her plate than your average seventeen-year-old — trying to strike a balance between attending classes and battling creatures from the Shadow Plane isn’t easy. But when her guardians come under attack by an unknown entity, Adrienne must put her life on the line to save them. With the help of her adoptive siblings, Adrienne is duty-bound to solve the mystery surrounding her guardians’ disappearance, alongside the death of several schoolgirls — and it’s going to take all her strength to do it.
Reminiscent of young adult adventure stories like the Percy Jackson series, Ashes, Ashes is an action-packed rollercoaster filled with fights, tears, and humor. While some may find the high school romance plot less compelling than the magical battle Adrienne becomes embroiled in, overall this novel strikes a balance between high-stakes conflict and more lighthearted concerns.
This story does make use of some well-worn tropes, such as the popular boy falling for the outcast girl (who, we are led to understand as readers, is beautiful but unaware of it). However, the world-building is immersive and exciting — the author has clearly put a lot of thought into the existence of her magi, with their uniquely turbulent lifestyle and varying skills and abilities.
The concept of creatures existing within different planes, and the relationship between our world and these planes, is also intriguing and employed to good effect. It is both thrilling and amusing to watch Adrienne leap between fighting malevolent creatures and returning to the Mortal Plane in time for school. I would recommend this book, particularly to any young adult who enjoys a mixture of supernatural horror and teen drama, as life-threatening events coincide with the typical trials and tribulations of growing up.
Pages: 344 | ASIN : B09YY333XL
The Younglings: Fire & Magic
The Youngling gang of supernaturals is back in the second installment of Helena M. Craggs’ series. This time Quinn and his friends are more experienced, more determined, and have even more troubled spirits to clean up after. A wannabe vampire on the loose, stalkerish witches and the pressure cooker of first years of college mean that their break from the supernatural realm has well and truly come to an end.
The Younglings: Fire & Magic picks up from where it left off, continuing the journey of first loves, sexuality, friendship, loyalty and familial unity. The ongoing guidance of demon nanny Mrs. D was the feel-good stability and wisdom that can often lack in the young adult genre.
Narrated predominantly from Quinn’s perspective Helena M. Craggs has done well to maintain his humorous and charismatic character. The addition of storytelling from multiple perspectives created the perfect amount of angst to keep the reader feverishly turning pages and builds upon the logic and reason of characters the reader has already had the opportunity to understand.
The natural progression of the original characters truly shines through in this second installment. Eve and Quinn have matured immensely; tougher and more direct, they set the tone of the novel to be logical and infallible, genuinely growing into the ruling roles so heavily focused on in book one. An outstanding friendship dynamic with purposeful powers and personalities, Craggs has taken her time to evolve relationships through real-life themes young adults face. The romantic subplot solidified this novels place in the workings of a brilliant young adult read.
The Younglings: Fire & Magic is a lighthearted paranormal fantasy that takes young adult readers on an action-filled adventure. The supernatural characters are engaging and will have readers hooked from the start.
Pages: 340 | ASIN : B09YHMTV4Z
The Yellow Sign
After what FBI Agent Erica Blaine has gone through, you’d think she deserves a long and restful vacation. After fruitless therapy sessions, copious amounts of booze, and her gloves that cover her scars, it’s only logical to give her all the time in the world to recover. But when her old army buddy, Dr. Feinstein, goes missing without an explanation, she packs up the flask and goes undercover to uncover the secrets of The Yellow College, where Feinstein was last seen. Thus begins The Yellow Sign, a novel of occult and cosmic horror by James Hodge.
The Yellow Sign has a straightforward plot that allows the readers to follow the character’s actions without keeping track of an assortment of subplots. As a plot-focused novel, the narration marches on at a smooth pace. Blaine, as a character, is easily a relatable hero with just enough personality for readers to root for.
Readers will immediately be immersed in the horror of this novel, making it hard to put down. The reader is constantly reminded of a traumatic event in Erica Blaine’s past, but we are never given more than a subtle glance. I feel that the theme of overcoming personal demons through facing actual monsters is a horror trope that is acutely utilized in this novel. However, genre veterans will love how Hodge brings the situations to life with his graphic details and impressive worldbuilding.
The Yellow Sign promises a dark descent into the depraved world of a mysterious cult, and it delivers. You’ll find yourself zipping through the pages, wanting to get to the flesh and bone of things. This all begins in the prologue, with the deliciously pulpy encounter between Dr. Feinstein and Alice. There also seems to be a charming encounter with her henchmen, the humorously named Thin and Thick.
The Yellow Sign is a good place for readers new to cosmic and occult horror to start reading and get a feel for the genre. The charismatic characters and the strong plot will give readers a great novel to segue into darker occult fiction.
Pages: 242 | ASIN : B09VWY7D9Y
The Younglings
Destined to be Keepers – the Protector of innocents in the mortal realm, Quinn and his team of supernatural friends must safeguard their town of Portaville from all the mystical energies that come their way. When a teacher’s heart is torn out of their chest and students start to go missing, the friends combine forces to reinstate the safety of those closest to them. With their freshly discovered powers, the teens can sense something isn’t all that it’s made out to be. All it takes is Mrs. D – Quin’s demon nanny – to confirm their suspicions and their plan to stop the murderer begins. All while Quinn is coming to terms with the fact that he is the demon king’s son!
Author Helena Craggs expertly crafts a brilliant young adult novel and navigates the reader through first loves, sexuality, friendship, and familial unity. Readers will find the characters in the story to be entertaining, full of personality, typical teenage moods, and dedication to their cause. In addition, the author injects humor in the story which lightens the mood of some of the darker drama that they face, and the twists and turns of the storyline as they discover more information about the town, paranormal activities, and themselves, making this an unpredictable urban fantasy novel.
Craggs has done well to create realistic characters and an easy-to-follow storyline with enough action to keep readers engaged. There is a character for everyone to relate to with demons, angels, ghosts, witches, magic, and teenagers. I enjoyed reading about Quin’s character especially as we followed him on his emotional journey of discovering his own powers and learning the truth about his family.
The Younglings: Shadows & Magic is a fast-paced, jam-packed paranormal fantasy novel that is perfect for younger readers looking to be taken on a fantastical journey that is filled with supernatural beings and teen angst.
Pages: 401 | AISN : B09C6JLDQW
LITERARY TITAN 