Release Date: 07/05/15
Publisher: Ravenstone (Rebellion)
SYNOPSIS:
Seventeen-year-old Maggie Cunningham is tough, smart, and sassy. She's also not like other girls her age, but then, who would be when the family business is monster hunting? Combat boots, ratty hooded sweatshirts, and hair worn short so nothing with claws can get a grip, Maggie's concerns in life slant more toward survival than fashion or boys. Which presents a problem when Maggie's mother informs Maggie that she can't get her journeyman's license for hunting until she loses her virginity. Something about virgin blood turning vampires into pointy rage monsters. Maggie's battled ghosts and goblins and her fair share of house brownies, but finding herself a boy - fitting in with her peers - proves a much more daunting task than any monster hunt. Did you know normal girls don't stuff their bras with holy water balloons or carry wooden stakes in their waistbands? And they care about things like "matching" and "footwear." Of course, they also can't clean a gun blindfolded, shoot a crossbow, or exorcise ghosts from a house. Which means they're lame and Maggie's not. Because Maggie's awesome. The Awesome, in fact. Just ask her. She'd be more than happy to tell you. After she finds herself a date.
REVIEW:
This was a bit of a strange book for me as whilst I acknowledged that there would be sex in it before I began, I did find that the way that the character was being callous with her “first time” in order to be able to improve in her career, I felt that it was something that should have had a more realistic feel.
Yes she “did the deed” and the author was pretty good with the descriptive, however the one thing that really annoyed me was that it was the usual unbelievable orgasmic sex that populates fiction when for a lot of ladies their first time is anything but. That said, the tale did weave a solid story, the action sequences were well written and for me, the principle character had a believablility that will work for many readers of the target audience (late teen.)
All round a solid opening title and a book that left me asking questions so much so that I will definitely be reading future outings to see what the author has in store for this unusual if intriguing family.
Release Date: 09/10/14
Publisher: Ravenstone
SYNOPSIS:
Jade is a seventeen-year-old mixed martial arts fi ghter. When she's in the cage she dominates her opponents - but in real life she's out of control. After she has a confrontation with a Hollywood martial arts star that threatens her gym's reputation, Jade's coach sends her to a training camp in Thailand for an attitude adjustment. Hoping to discover herself, she instead uncovers a shocking conspiracy. In a world just beyond our own, a man is stealing the souls of children to try and live forever.
REVIEW:
To be honest this was a book that was a little bit strange for me partly as I couldn’t decide it if was meant to be more of a Young Adult Review or whether it was more of an adult title due to the language within. Its quirky, it has some wonderful twists and when added to a story arc that keeps moving all round generates something that when blended with some bhuddist mythology generates a tale that was hard to put down.
Whilst I did enjoy the book I did feel that in places the book was sadly lacking, firstly I loved Cake’s mother and felt that she should have had a bigger role rather than as a supporting cast member and was heavily underutilised considering the opinions of women within the Muay Thai world.
All round a solid enough book and I’ll be keeping a careful eye on Tricia’s future releases.
Release Date: 10/10/13
Publisher: Ravenstone
SYNOPSIS:
The Devil is retiring... but who's taking over? When teenage Pen inherits the job of caretaker for a London building with no doors and only a secret entrance from the caretaker's lodge – which she must never use – little does she know it will lead her into unbelievable danger. For Azmordis, also known as Satan, a spirit as old as time and as powerful as the Dark, Immortality is running out.
In the house with no front door, a group of teenagers are trapped in assorted dimensions of myth and history, undergoing the trials that will shape them to step into his cloven footwear – or destroy them. Assisted by only by an aspiring teenage chef called Gavin and Jinx, a young witch with more face-piercing than fae-power, Pen must try to stop the Devil's deadly game plan – before it's too late.
By turns very funny, very scary and always thrilling, this is an incredible return to YA for Siegel.
REVIEW:
This was a book that I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time, firstly because I love the premise and secondly as I know that it would be a cracking title for young and old readers alike from the relatively new press Ravenstone.
How did I know this, well I loved their first book Lupus Rex, so knew that it would be something different, something novel and of course something that would fill the readers imagination with something unique in its own right. What unfurls within the pages is a tale that at times is humorous, at times dark all backed up with a mysteriousness that can leave you wondering what exactly what is going to happen with the unpredictability leaving you quite often at the not only the edge of your seat but with that niggling book demon whispering about one more chapter before you turn the light off.
It has solid prose, some great twists and when you finally finish the last page, you’ll find it’s a book that you thoroughly enjoyed. Great stuff.
Release Date: 20/06/13
Publisher: Ravenstone
SYNOPSIS:
The crow king is dead, and in the field below all the creatures tremble as the Murder gathers to choose a new king from the rival sons Sintus, Milus and Nascus. When the crows drive everyone from the field to keep the reckoning secret, the quail Ysil, Cormo and Harlequin believe they must simply follow their elders to safety. But when the crows turn against each other, the forest becomes full of danger. In the confusion the last wolf, Asmod, shucks off his isolation and begins to raise an army to claim the kingdom for his own. As hidden truths are brought to light and enormous sacrifices are made Ysil and his friends must make an epic journey and an unthinkable alliance if the lesser animals are to survive.
REVIEW:
I love a story that features animals and have keen memories of reading stories like Watership Down, The Incredible journey and of course the wonderful Animals of Farthing Wood series. Well throw into this a touch of Animal Farm and you might just be beginning to grasp the complexity of this cracking release by John Carter Cash.
The story is involving, gives the reader a wonderfully rich world to dive into and when added to cracking prose and the events within really takes you away. Definitely an author I’m going to be watching and a cracking release to start Rebellion’s Ravenstone imprint. Magic.
