Intangible by J. Meyers

Intangible by J. Meyers


Kindle edition, copy from the author. 

I think it’s kind of odd that people are biased against self-published works. Recently, I’ve been more an more inclined toward self-published works. Well, I’ll be honest that 99% of the self-published works I’ve read have been in the Young Adult genre. Solstice by PJ Hoover and The Talent Chronicles by Susan Bischoff were awesome reads with enjoyable characters and interesting plots, and Intangible has joined the ranks of my favorite YA reads.

I was lucky enough to receive this book pre-release from the author. I found a companion short story called Intuition that takes place before Intangible, maybe by a couple weeks or months. You can read it here for free.

This book starts off with Luke as he has a vision of his twin sister Sera’s death. He’s had visions all his life and he’s never been able to change the outcome of these visions. His sister, Sera, has the ability to heal people, but there’s no way to heal herself.

This book starts off with mystery and fantasy and quickly incorporates drama and romance. The author weaves in various narratives from interesting characters. The twins, Luke and Sera; Marc who’s gotten himself into some trouble; a powerful vampire named Jonas. I found myself rooting for and enjoying each character, even those who were more ambivalent than others. Towards the middle, I may have gotten a little impatient, eager to see how Luke’s vision would play out, but the pacing was pretty spot on. 

I enjoyed the romance in the story. Marc and Sera had a good thing going on, even with their ups and downs. But I would really like some more Luke and Fey! I’d just like some more Luke in general. 

The ending was awesome -- the climax wasn’t resolved too quick. Just when you think it’s solved, something happens again. The author plans for a sequel, and I’m really excited! I want to see these characters again and I’m eager to see who else she pulls along for the ride. This was a great read, so check it out!

Moon Spell by Samantha Young

Moon Spell by Samantha Young


Published 2010, read on my Kindle.

Yeah, another book I finished in one sitting! I don't normally read Paranormal Romance, but I really liked Smokeless Fire (which, tbh, I don't consider PNR) so I picked this one up for another dollar!

Caia left the pack ten years ago after her parents were killed, and she's lived in isolation with no one but Irini. When it's time to return, she finds out the pack is keeping a lot of secrets from her. Though it feels like the first time she's ever belonged, there are also things that are wrong. People seem to blame her for the murders that took place when she was young. She makes enemies with another girl her age named Alexa. When her emotions get the best of her, scary things happen. She also feels an instant connection to the Pack Leader, Lucien. What is the pack hiding from her, though?

To be honest, the beginning of this book was a bit rough. The author throws you right in without any introductions or description. We're just dropped into this conversation. I was confused at first, but I trudged through. Caia arrives in her new home with the pack and slowly starts to adjust to her new life. School, the pack dynamics, living with the Pack Leader and his family, new friends, new enemies.

The characters were pretty interesting and unique. There were a lot of them, and some of the minor ones went straight over my head, but the author did a pretty good job of keeping them separate and distinct. Caia was cool, I liked her. She was calm and collected, but she still had a fierceness to her. The story had a nice pace to it, too. I never thought, 'ugh, let's move on!' I DID want to know what was going on, but that was more the urgency of, 'Wow, I can't read fast enough!'

The romance was nice. Of course I wanted them to jump right into each other's arms, but it was more realistic that things took longer. Towards the end, I feel like they were on a bit of a roller coaster, hating each other, then loving each other, then having screaming matches. But it's understandable with their personalities. I really want to pick up the next one to see what's in their future. At times, the whole "possessive male" annoyed me, but it's realistic, too, considering they are part wolf. I think she did a good job of balancing it, though. Yes, they're protective and slightly chauvinistic, but the women were also strong characters and the men were never dishonorable or anything. Well, I suppose you could argue Lucien was in a few of his lies. . .

I liked the worldbuilding and magic system. Some of it is familiar, of course, but I liked how she mixed Greek myths with the paranormal races of witches, werewolves, vampyres, etc. I'm not 100% clear on the origins of the war, but I think I got it. I'd probably have to read it again, but I don't really have plans of doing that. I'll be reading the next one! XD

Mechanics could use some work, but the storytelling was great and they only distracted me for a moment (or not at all!) before I kept reading. Looking forward to picking up the sequel! I know I'll have to wait until I have some free time because I probably won't be able to put it down. ;)

Smokeless Fire by Samantha Young

Smokeless Fire by Samantha Young

Published in 2011, read on my Kindle.

Wow! Amazon showed me this book my recommendations, and this lovely cover caught my eye. The blurb was awesome, the sample snagged me, so I bought it. . .and finished it. . .all in one day! Man, I love being on break!

Blurb from Gooreads:

For the last two years Ari’s life has been anything but normal and on her 18th birthday, when her friends surprise her with a gimmick genie claiming to grant wishes, Ari discovers the truth. The tragic and strange occurrences surrounding her 16th birthday were not coincidental and her life is never going to be the same again.

Ari’s real parents are not normal. They are not loving. They are not human.

They are myth.

They are Smokeless Fire.

They are Jinn.

Wow, wow, wow. I know already said that, but  I don't think four times is enough. This story was fascinating. At first, I wasn't sure what to think about Ari since she wanted Charlie so badly. I thought she was kind of pathetic, like her friends did, but I kept reading. I felt sorry for her because she seemed lonely. Her dad was gone all the time, and she really had no one to talk to. When she suddenly wakes up in this other world and meets her true father. . .well, things just didn't slow down after that!

Samantha Young has created an amazing world with very unique world building. The Jinn have many different forms, and the magic system is really neat.

I really liked Jai. I'm usually turned off by sarcastic, arrogant love interests like him, but I think there was more to him than a typical Jace or. . .okay, I don't read a lot of PNR, so Jace is pretty much the only one I can name :P BUT I liked Jai. I think Samantha did a good job at showing his age. He doesn't act like a 17 year old, and I'm glad she didn't make him that young. He's much more mature than Charlie (groan) and it showed. I really liked the chemistry between Jai and Ari and I was hoping for something to happen. . .but I won't tell if anything did or not.

There were some things, writing style, that rubbed me the wrong way. Mainly mechanics stuff. Like mixing up you're/your? Come on. Or there were a couple sentences I had to reread where an extra comma could have helped. That's mainly the reason it's 4 instead of 5 and because I think Ari could have been a tad more dynamic. I'm not sure how, I just think. . .I'm not sure. I did like her quite a bit. Even in the beginning, I just thought she was kind of naive. I still feel bad for her, too, considering all she's been through. I hope she doesn't let things get to her. I feel like she needs someone she can actually rely on, but she's kind of this island and it's sad.

I'm excited to see what else is coming up in the rest of the series. Obviously, big, epic things considering what's revealed in this book. And the second one comes out in February, yay! I will definitely buy the sequel.

New Finding Fiona Cover and Reviews

A lot of exciting things have happened this week! Finding Fiona has a new cover featuring a quote from the lovely Keary Taylor about the novella.

"Fantastic! An emotional roller coaster that will leave readers both satisfied and craving more."

If you've read Eden by Keary, I think you'd enjoy Finding Fiona. Alternatively, if you enjoyed Finding Fiona, I know you'll like Eden! There are some similarities between Eve and Fiona, but there are some big differences, too. Keary also just released the last book in her Fall of Angels series. Check it out if you like paranormal romance.

Thank you, Keary! And thanks to my lovely husband for the cover. (Psst, if you like accordions, Indie rock, and great melodies, check out Tent City.)

There have also been some new, lovely reviews. Here are quotes from a few:

"This novella was phenomenal. It was definitely one of the most original works I have read this year." ~from LyzzieB on Amazon.com

"One of those diamonds in the ruff that you stumble upon. Great YA sci-fi novella. Highly recommended." ~from Wendy-Reads on Amazon.com

 "I am not exactly sure how I came across Finding Fiona, but I am so glad I did. . .It's a great novella! Full of action, not overly romantic, the writing is wonderful." ~from Anonymous on BN.com

It's almost the weekend, so cuddle up with Fiona and follow the twists and turns of finding out who she is. Only $2.99 on Kindle, Nook, and various other retailers!

Waiting on Wednesday

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

I was lucky enough to find a bonus short story on Smashwords titled Intuition. It preludes the upcoming release Intangible by J. Meyers. Here's the blurb:


Twins Sera and Luke Raine have a well-kept secret—she heals with a touch of her hand, he sees the future. All their lives they’ve helped those in need on the sly. They’ve always thought of their abilities as being a gift. 


 Then Luke has a vision that Sera is killed. That gift they’ve always cherished begins to feel an awful lot like a curse. Because the thing about Luke’s ability? He’s always right. And he can’t do anything about it.


There's a preview of the first chapter on J Meyer's website and at the end of Intuition. I'm excited to read this book! The website says November 2011. Woohoo!

Becoming by Raine Thomas

Becoming by Raine Thomas


Published 2011, Kindle Edition, app. 295 pages. 


I tried to write my own synopsis, but the author says it so much better. From Goodreads:

Every three years, Amber Hopkins explodes. Okay, not a blown-to-smithereens explosion, but whatever it is always hurts like hell and leaves her life a shambles. She’s already worked her way through five foster placements, and she’s doing whatever she can to avoid getting blasted into a sixth.


As her eighteenth birthday approaches and she feels the strange and powerful energy building, disaster looms. When the inevitable explosion occurs, her life gets its biggest shakeup yet. She’ll not only learn how her fellow foster and best friend, Gabriel, really feels about her, but she’ll discover that she isn’t really without family.


To top it all off, she’ll finally find out why she’s having the power surges: she isn’t entirely human.


Amber must Become, transitioning to another plane of existence and risking the loss of the most important relationship she’s ever had. Her choice will impact the future of an entire race of beings, and will pit her against an enemy that will prey upon her doubt to try and take her very life.


Kind of makes the explosions now seem like a cakewalk. 


It's great, isn't it? I had my eye on this trilogy for a while, but a sale for 99 cents made me pick up the first one about a month ago. I got the chance to finally start reading it on Friday, and I finished it last night. The story starts off with a great, endearing romance that sucked me in right away. Of course there was some stuff before that, but Gabriel and Amber's relationship was so enjoyable to read.

There's a healthy balance of mystery surrounding Amber's strange origins and we also get the chance to see the people who know more than Amber and the reader. Amber and Gabriel are both really likable while still having flaws. Actually, I take that back -- I can't think of any flaws in Gabriel yet! He's not your typical controlling, secretive, dark YA love interest. I don't really understand the appeal of YA novels that have an ordinary girl trying to find out the supernatural secret of her crush. I like YA where the girl has the secret, or she at least has something going on, too -- books like Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, The Talent Chronicles by Susan Bischoff, Solstice by PJ Hoover, and now Becoming by Raine Thomas.

About halfway through, things slow down a bit with a hefty infodump. I'm not sure how this could have been done differently, but I only retained part of the knowledge I know I'm supposed to have. I need an Estilorian encyclopedia or something because I can't keep track of all the different classes and histories and planes of existence (wait, there are only two, right?). Note to self: Google to see if there is something like this. (Found something on her website! Spoilers for Becoming, obviously)

After said infodump, the pace is back up and running. Amber and Gabriel are faced with big choices and are soon heading to the Estilorian plane of existence to save the people, though I don't really know how. Honestly, I might need to run over certain parts again because I was reading so quickly because it was such a fun read.

I don't want to spoil anything, but I'll just say that I really liked the Estilorian plane. I liked the description (though sometimes it bordered on too much) and the very different field of the world. It's evident the author gave these people a distinct culture and traditions and really thought it through. I could definitely take a page or two from her book on worldbuilding, which I usually put on the back burner.

The ending climax was pretty cool -- some great action scenes with the girls really kicking ass. I'm excited for the next book, and I wish I would have bought it at 99 cents when I had the chance! But I'm happy to support a self-published author with the hefty fee of $2.99 ;)

In short, I recommend this trilogy for fans of YA fantasy, especially readers who enjoy romance, male love interests who are gentlemen, interesting female protagonists, and strong worldbuilding. A great addition to YA fantasy.

Heroes 'Til Curfew by Susan Bischoff

Heroes 'Til Curfew (Talent Chronicles, #2) by Susan Bischoff

Published 2011, Kindle Edition. 


Hush Money was the first self-published book I read on my Kindle, and it was awesome. The Talent Chronicles are about people who have Talents - telekinesis, super strength, invisibility, etc. The NIAC (National Institutes for Ability Control) is a big threat in this world, as they pick up kids who have Talents and ship them to State School. The story follows a certain group of high school students. In the middle are Joss, a girl who is just getting used to having friends; Dylan, the kid who is leaving behind his life of crime; and Marco, the bully who makes both of their lives miserable. Joss and Dylan have it bad for each other, but both are too afraid to mess their friendship up.

This book is equal parts adventure and romance. Joss and Dylan slowly grow into their relationship, skirting around miscommunication, difficult families, and life threatening situations with jerks from their school. The author weaves together the fear of the NIAC with high school drama flawlessly.

I spent all day Friday reading this book. It was great. Her writing is so addicting; I literally didn't want to put my Kindle down. I love that she takes on a different angle of the "boy needs to save damsel in distress." Dylan struggles with this, wondering how he could protect Joss when she seems physically stronger than him and more accomplished in her ability. I thought it was very refreshing. Joss, who's been a loner most of her life due to her dad's controlling nature, has a hard time getting used to friends and a boyfriend she's head over heels for. Their dynamics were very realistic, and I found myself absolutely loving these characters. The action scenes were great, too. Does this need to be a movie? YES.

This book is more than twice as long as the first, which I LOVED. I liked finding out more about Dylan's family. I liked seeing a bit more about how the world worked: Syndicate, the NIAC mole, etc. I honestly can't wait for more, and I'm hoping we see even more of the NIAC and the State Schools. Bischoff works well with relationships, but I'm eager to see more world building. As last time, it took me a while to get used to the point of view, but I think her writing has improved. It wasn't as stream-of-consciousness, and it was easier to tell who was talking when.

If you like young adult, adventure, fantasy, romance, superheroes - check this series out. There's Hush Money, Heroes 'Til Curfew, and a short story about a different group of kids called Impulse Control. Can't wait to see more from this author.

Why I'm self-publishing AND looking for an agent

Hello! As you may know, I'm going to self-publish a novella of mine, Finding Fiona. I also have two fantasy novels I plan to self-publish. At the same time, I will be querying for my YA urban fantasy to find an agent and go "traditional". This is a post about why I decided to do both.

I first dipped my toes in when I heard about people putting up their short stories. I had a handful of short stories that I didn't know what to do with. Most of them are YA, and magazine markets for YA short stories are very rare. So, I put a lot of them on Smashwords for free. I put a collection on Amazon for 99 cents. I hardly did any marketing or promoting for it, though, and it went nowhere. I recently made it free, as well, and it's now getting a lot of downloads.

When I wrote Finding Fiona, I realized it was going to be much shorter than most of my novels. It ended at about 40,000 words, making it a novella. I thought, 'What am I going to do with a novella?' I looked into e-publishing a little bit, but I was interested in putting it on Amazon.com as an experiment into self-publishing. It has an expected release date mid-September. My husband made an awesome cover, and it is getting its last polishes and edits this month.

I have a pair of high fantasy novels - not a trilogy because the story didn't call for it. I guess it would be called a duo. The first one, Promising Light, is completed and going through revisions, and the second one is outlined, and I'm slowly working on finishing the first draft. At first, I wanted to go for traditional publication with these books. As I did research, though - and I might get flack for this - I came to realize I didn't know as much about the fantasy market as I might need to. I knew a lot about fantasy ebooks that were available, but not so much about print books. I feel like it's a good book with a unique concept and intriguing characters, and I wanted to self-publish these books to let the readers decide. (Of course, I'll go through beta readers and an editor to make sure my assumptions are right.)

Now, the other side of the coin: I have a young adult urban fantasy. It could also be called science fiction or even dystopian. I read young adult more than any other genre. I know about the market. I've done lots of research about agents and publishers that are interested in this genre. Overall, I feel like this book is very marketable. I think it would fit with other books of the genre. I want to find a traditional publisher for this book. It's still in revision because it's quite an ambitious book, but I've already started my list of agents to query.

A lot of self-published authors talk about "gatekeepers" and how so many good books aren't published because of old fogies who aren't "with the times." They say publishers don't give new authors any publicity or marketing, that if you don't make the bestseller list on your first book, they drop you. The list of claims goes on, and I'm sure a few have some truth to them. Others, however, don't really make sense to me.

For example, why would a publisher NOT market new authors? They are fronting the costs for this project, and they want to make a profit. They paid for the cover art, the editing, the copyediting, the printing, publicity, and much more. Why wouldn't they want to make as many sales as possible? To me, it seems like publishers are always looking for the next big thing, so they will invest their time in projects they see as commercial. They're looking for books that market to a wide audience. Granted, not all books will fall under that category. I think that's why self-publishing is neat, because a good book can usually find readers, even if a publisher isn't interested.

This is what I want from traditional publishing that I know I will get:

- Professional cover art.

- Editing and copyediting.

- My books in high quality print form.

- Distribution to bookstores.

- A marketing team (yes, I know it won't be a thousand people all working on my book, but I will get publicity).

- More time to write. (even though, like I said above, I enjoy marketing. I'll still get to do that, but I won't have to worry about formatting my book, doing the cover art, deciding whether to do print or not, buying proofs, paying for editing, and more)

I see the benefits of self-publishing, and that's why I'm self-publishing some of my books. I like the control, and I like the immediacy of it. I like doing the marketing, and I enjoy meeting other self-published authors. It's just as much hard work as publishing with a traditional publisher.

I just don't like the negative attitudes some in the self-published community have against traditional publishers. Agents aren't bad people trying to keep your book from print. The print/traditional publishing world takes a very small amount of books, and they have to take the best and most commercial. Sometimes, they mess up and take on a book that isn't so great. So what? It's not a perfect system.

Think about it - when you're reading the paper or talking with people in a bookstore or you're at the library, which books do you hear about? The traditionally published ones. Most self-published books are marketed, talked about, and distributed online. I'd like to reach the book readers who don't go searching for self-published books. The readers who aren't online as much as I am (which is probably too much :-p).

Now, everything is changing with technology. Self-publishing is getting easier by the day, and online sales are growing exponentially. Considering my genre is young adult, much of the next generation is online. Ebook sales will probably continue to grow, but I also think publishers will adapt. It might be slow, but they are catching on.

All this said, I would be willing to change my plans for The Second Generation (the YA urban fantasy). If agents and publishers thought it was a good book, but didn't have a place - in other words, if I'm completely wrong about it being commercial or marketable - then I'd consider self-publishing it. As long as I was confident it wasn't being rejected based on poor content or writing.

But after that, I have another YA fantasy I'll query to agents. All while self-publishing my other books. If all goes according to plan, I could have the best of both worlds.

Eden by Keary Taylor

Eden by Keary Taylor

Published 2011, Kindle Edition, 110,000 words or about 400 pages.

Eve's world is Fallen. An advanced technology was developed to grow new organs and limbs in humans, but the machine grew, slowly taking over human bodies. The infection spread quickly, and now only a small amount of humans are left. For Eve, that world is thirty-six people living in a village called Eden. When newcomers arrive, she finds out about her mysterious past and is town between two men. Eden soon has to move as the Hunters become more aggressive, and Eve goes on a journey to find out what it means to be human.

I found this book on Goodreads. The cover snagged my attention first. Very "eye" catching. Ha! I'm hilarious! I skimmed the sample to make sure it was passable, and spent a hard-earned dollar on this dystopian novel. A dollar not wasted!

Eve's world isn't easy, and Keary Taylor's writing pulls you right into it. The woods, the survival aspect. Eve reminded me of Katniss because of her survivor skills, and this book actually seemed like a Finding Fiona meets The Hunger Games. (Hmm, maybe Finding Fiona needs a love triangle. . .nope. No, it doesn't.)

Anyways, this book had me riveted. I didn't want to put it down! I read the second half all afternoon today. Fascinating world, and I kept wanting to know what was going to happen. Good actions scenes (I wanted more!). It was a pretty balanced love triangle, too, until about three fourths of the way through, then I started to see who Eve would choose. I started to root for him, too.

My only qualm: this should have been three fourths as long. After a while, the author started to repeat herself, and nothing really happened until the second half of the book. The love triangle started to get a little overdone, and I think with 20-30K less words, the story would have been much smoother and tighter. A few typos (other's instead of others, you're instead of your), a frustrating ending to the love triangle (not who she chooses, but. . .oh, you'll see). So I guess that wasn't my ONLY qualm, but my main one.

The second half was much more exciting to me than the first. Eden is forced to move because the Hunters are becoming more aggressive, and we see more of this apocalyptic world. We see if there are any other survivors. We see Eve grow emotionally. We see some pretty awesome action scenes, too.

There were also a few plot holes, some of them pretty big, but overall, it was a good read. I liked the three main characters. I wanted to see more of the minor characters, actually. I enjoy dystopian novels a lot, and this one fits in well with the others!

Solstice by P.J. Hoover

Solstice by P.J. Hoover

Kindle edition, published 2011.

Wow! I stumbled upon this author on a blog (The Bookshelf Muse), and the first thing that caught my eye was that cover. Great job to whoever did that! I read a couple sentences of the blurb and got the sample from Amazon.com. But I really had no idea what it was about other than the dystopian setting of the global heating crisis. So, going in, I had pretty much no idea where it was going, and it was really cool reading it that way! Reading without any preconceived notions, just enjoying the book for what it was - great writing!

Enough about me - onto the book. It starts off as a "typical" dystopian, introducing the reader to the world of the future. Piper's world is stuck in the Global Heating Crisis. It's been summer for eighteen years and there's no end in sight. There heat bubbles, cooling gels, little air conditioning, missiles to dispel the heat bubbles, domes to protect people. It's a fascinating world that probably could have been a novel in and of itself, but then we start to see inklings that there's more to Piper and her family than meets the eye. She receives a mysterious box for birthday present. She meets a guy who says he's known her for a year. P.J. Hoover soon pulls you into a world of mythology with finely crafted language that constantly kept me wanting more.

This book was addicting! When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about when I'd have time to. When I was reading it, I was forcing myself to slow down. The world is so vivid; it's like I could feel the heat. There were lots of twists, and it kept you guessing (although I knew what was up about two thirds of the way through, and I was yelling at Piper to get it). It's so imaginative, too. I want to see this on film. I think it would be awesome. I'm definitely not an expert in Greek mythology, but my high school was pretty big on it, and I loved revisiting some of those myths and also seeing a new take on them.

There were times when Piper seemed to passive, but overall, I liked her. She grew into herself, for sure. There were some great characters and concepts. I liked the author's take on the Underworld.

I really, REALLY liked this story. I recommend it for any young adult or dystopian or mythology or Indie readers. Or just anyone, really. It's a very enjoyable read, and I can't wait for more from this author. I hope she writes a sequel. I'd be all over that.

I won The Fiddler's Green by A.S. Peterson!

I bought The Fiddler's Gun by A.S. Peterson on my Kindle the other week, and while looking around, I found a contest to give away the sequel The Fiddler's Green here at A Few More Pages. I won the contest! I received a nice new book in the mail the other day! Problem is, I'm only 60% through The Fiddler's Gun, so I need to finish it! But it's really good, I'm already excited to read the sequel :) Check out the series if you'd like an exciting story. It's like Anne of Green Gables meets Pirates of the Caribbean! So, expect a few book reviews soon!

Also to come: A review in City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare, 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison, and a book/movie post of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring!

Uncommon Magic by Michelle Scott

Uncommon Magic by Michelle Scott

Kindle edition, published 2011. Apparently 232 print pages.

I'm not sure where I heard of this book, but I had a sample on my Kindle, and I finally got around to reading it. I read the sample in the morning, bought the book around 5pm, and finished it that night!

The book has an intriguing premise. Copied and pasted from Goodreads: In Mira Meadowmarsh's world, Magicians have complete control over ordinary people like herself. Magicians rule with iron fists, levying taxes, seizing property, and meting out harsh punishment to those who break the rules. But while the un-magical commons cannot defend themselves against the Magician's magic, there is one thing that Magicians fear: inventions. So when rumors spread that the un-magical are building machines and planning an uprising, the Magicians retaliate with even harsher laws.

At first, all of this means nothing to Mira who doesn't give a fig about politics. She's in love, and life is sweet. But when she discovers that her brother is an inventor who's suddenly the most wanted man in the country and that the boy she loves, her companion since childhood, is really a Magician, Mira finds herself in the middle of a brewing revolution.

It's an interesting setup! Very creative. Personally, I would have liked to see more magic, but the focus was on the commons most of the time, not the Magicians. It was a really nice read; I didn't want to put it down until I was done. the writing flowed really well; it wasn't full of action every page, but something made me want to keep reading.

I liked Mira. I thought she could have been a little bit more active. Throughout the whole thing, she was mostly the girl on the outside of everything that was happening, but it was kind of a coming-of-age story for her. She grew up, she made some hard decisions. Some of them, especially towards the end, I was thinking, "No! No, don't do it!" But it played out pretty well. It was almost too simple, and I wanted it to keep going. I wanted the author to explore Mira's relationships with Quentin and Jess, but I'm sure it wouldn't have made a very good book. The main conflict was over, I get that. As a reader, though, I was loving the story and the characters and dying to know more about them! Especially the boys and Liam, who I felt weren't explored well enough.

Other small things: I'm sure it was the translation from .doc to .html/.mobi, but there was a lot of words that were missing spaces. Likethis. Some typos or weird sentences, but it didn't stop me from finishing it and enjoying it! I'd recommend it to people who like fantasy stories that aren't too complex and would like a fun read.

Hush Money by Susan Bischoff

Hush Money (Talent Chronicles, #1) by Susan Bischoff

2010, Approximately 50K words, Kindle edition. Purchased and read on my Kindle.

Since I want to pursue self-publishing, I've been looking into the Indie books available on Kindle. For only 99 cents, I bought this book on about a week ago and finished it today. I read the sample first, of course - I LOVE that feature of Kindle.

This book is about high schoolers who have Talents - various powers such as invisibility, super strength, telekinesis, etc. It's illegal in this world and most Talents are picked up by the NIAC (National Institutes for Ability Control) when they're found out. It's reminiscent of X-men, but with a much different setting and crowd. It actually reminded of my novel The Second Generation, which deals with part-alien, part-humans who are discriminated against.

I really enjoyed this book. It did take me a little while to get into it because the 1st POV was very personal, practically stream-of-consciousness in parts. Once I got used to the writing style, I read through it really quickly. One of the things I liked was the unique female protagonist. She didn't strike me as the usual YA female lead; I liked Joss. Though her transformation at the end was sort of sudden like the author thought, "Well, it's ending, and now she's okay with all these people" I enjoyed reading about her. I'm rooting for her and Dylan, of course.

There were small flaws - like her head-hopping. So many times, I was like, "Wait, who's talking here??" The narrative, like I said above, was kind of disjointed. I thought it was a great read, though, especially for only 99 cents!

I'm excited for the next book. Marco is a mean guy, he's a pretty good villain, but I'd like to know more about why he's such a jerk. I just hope everyone eventually gets out of his grip.

A few things I could learn from this book. . .

Head hopping is bad. Make sure the people know who's talking!

Buy it here!