YOUNG ADULT REVIEW: Betrayal's, Monsters and Horseman

BOOK BLURB: Betrayals

The second novel in the Strange Angels series picks up with Dru neatly tucked away in a Schola that's more like a prison than a secret training facility. Except for one tiny detail ...she's the only girl in the place and is totally surrounded by tons of cute boys. But a traitor in the Order wants Dru dead and she can't trust anyone except for Graves. Too bad he's being kept busy with a new crew of wulfen teens and doesn't have time for her. As she learns the truth about who she can and can't trust, Dru's only hope may be to save herself - although the one gift that makes her special is draining away, and she doesn't know how to get it back. Will Dru survive long enough to find out who is really after her? Or is she destined for the same fate as her murdered parents? Lili's characters come alive on the page in a way that's visually stunning and she creates the same terrific pace, danger and teen romance as in Strange Angels.


REVIEW:

With the success of her adult series, Lili went on to start a young adult series that with its original offering more than blew the competition away with cracking characterisation, beautiful scene setting and above all a heroine who’s got nerve and steel whilst remaining vulnerable. Not an easy combo to manage. What really does enhance this is the way that Lili brings life to all members of the cast, be they the principle members or just little one liners who are there to be the proverbial redshirts. Its great writing, its fascinating and she brings a heroine to the fore that whilst young may yet reset the balance in the world to which she inhabits.



BOOK BLURB: Monster Republic

An explosion in a nuclear power plant. Kids patched up with scavenged body parts and bionic implants. A growing army of superhuman soldiers programmed for destruction. 'No', whispered Cameron to the monster in the glass. And he watched it shaking its hideous head. 'That's not me. You're not me'.


REVIEW:

A novel setting for a modern reader as a curse comes to twin sisters who will battle to gain the upper-hand against each other as they each ensure their own individual survival. What makes this first instalment of the trilogy so gripping is that its unpredictable, what you’d normally come to expect really does throw the curve ball as you’re never sure which way its going to go until the final page. With both characters growing with each passing page, I hope that they’ll continue to emotionally in future novels. Add to the blend a completely different writing style to the norm, the dark gothic nature of Shelley finished with a hint of historical fiction and a dash of the Supernatural.



BOOK BLURB: The Hollow

Growing up in the town of Sleepy Hollow, the mystery and intrigue over Washington Irving's classic legend are all part of daily life for sixteen-year-old Abbey. But when her best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Abbey's world is suddenly turned upside down. While everyone is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead, Abbey refuses to believe that she is really gone. And when Abbey meets the gorgeous, but mysterious, Caspian at Kristen's memorial she starts to feel like she has something to hold on to for the first time since Kristen's disappearance. But when Abbey finds a diary hidden in Kristen's bedroom, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her disappearance or even her death? Hurt and angry at Kristen's betrayal, Abbey turns to Caspian for support...and uncovers a frightening truth about him that threatens both their emerging love and her sanity...


REVIEW:

A Young Urban Fantasy novel that bring the original tale by Irving to the modern reader and gives a new spin on the ancient and in my opinion, the best Halloween story ever. What is perhaps different is how the author deals with the loss of the principle protagonista and whilst I did feel a little cheated at not having a final solution in regard to her friends passing I did enjoy this book and will eagerly seek out future novels by Jessica. Its definitely a book that will enthuse as well as enchant many readers and will give something special to the adult reader as well. Personally I’d advise giving this book around Halloween however with a strong Christmas theme within its also something that will make an excellent stocking filler.