Book Review - The Winter Sister by Megan Collins

Photo Credit - Amazon

Sixteen years ago, Persephone went out with her boyfriend, Ben and never came home again. she is forbidden to see Ben and has kept her relationship a secret with him. She went missing for three days before her body was discovered but, her case has remained unsolved.

Sylvie, Persephone's younger sister, returns home to care for her mother, Annie as she undergoes treatment for cancer. Annie and Sylvie used to have a close bond but, after Persephone's death, the pair's relationship became strained. When Sylvie returns to take care of Annie, their reunion is filled with silence.

When taking her mother to the cancer center for treatment, she runs into Ben who works as a nurse at the cancer center. Sylvie always believed that Ben was responsible for Persephone's death. Sylvie is always weighed down by her guilt over the night Persephone went missing. As Sylvie tries to help her mom and navigate her relationship with her mother, she begins to uncover secrets. Will she discover who killed her sister?

I enjoyed the first part of the book but, towards the ending, the book became very predictable.  I didn't enjoy any of the characters but, I did like the character dynamics. I was expecting a lot more from this novel and I was disappointed I was able to guess every twist. There were a few things I wish we had more details on.

 **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - The Girl in the Glass Box by James Grippando

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Jack Swyteck is a Miami based attorney who is taking on an immigration case of an undocumented immigrant who fled to America to protect her daughter and herself. Julia Rodriguez and her teenage daughter, Beatriz escape from El Salvador to hide from the gangs and Julia's abusive husband. The duo struggles to adapt to life in America but, enjoy the safety it provides from Julia's husband.

Julia and her daughter were getting used to life in America until Julia refuses her boss's unwanted sexual advances. Her boss submits a tip to the U.S. immigration authorities to arrest Julia and put her in detention. Since Julia is slated for deportation, Jack's only move is to request asylum for her.

The novel is based on current events and can be seen as a timely thriller. My opinions and thoughts of immigration aside, I wasn't a fan of this novel. I had a hard time sympathizing with some of the characters because I didn't like them. I felt like the novel was very boring and repetitive with almost no plot development. I wasn't a fan of the ending but, I understand that immigration can be tricky and things do not always pan out. I found some of the dialogue between the characters to be stilted and surrealistic. This was my first novel by the author and probably the last.

 **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - Midnight on Strange Street by K.E. Ormsbee + Giveaway

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The Sardines is a group of teenagers who live near each other and love glowboarding together. Avery Miller recently moved into the neighborhood after her parents' divorce.  She is looking for a fresh start from the bomb sirens and talk of the war in Los Angeles. Dani Hirsch is the leader of the Sardines. She knows that their team is the best at glowboarding but, they are just yet to prove it.  She is focused on the team winning the big race in the summer and nothing will distract her.

Bastian Gil is tired of being bullied because he is different. He and his twin sister, Lola can share thoughts but, he feels that is normal. Lola wants everyone to have fun and just glowboard for fun. She doesn't like it when the team fights. As the Sardines prepare for their big race, they start to realize that they have magical powers that make them different from everyone else. As they start to grasp their abilities, they soon realize nothing will be the same again.

I thought the novel had an interesting premise but, I was disappointed in the delivery. I felt like the novel was very predictable and was detailed without adding anything to the story. I wished more time was spent talking about each of the children and if other people received special powers. For example, why were they picked and how did they get it? Overall, it would be an entertaining read for people who like kids with superpowers finding themselves but, I was expecting more mystery and surprises.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

About The Book

Title: MIDNIGHT ON STRANGE STREET

Author: K.E. Ormsbee

Pub. Date: January 21, 2020

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 400

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

AVERY MILLER is looking for a fresh start, away from all the bomb sirens and talk of war in Los Angeles. She expects to find a haven in Callaway, Texas, where the cool new substance “glow” was first discovered. What she doesn’t count on is making friends with glowboard skaters Dani, Bastian, and Lola, aka the Sardines. . . .

DANI HIRSCH, captain of the Sardines, knows for a fact they’re the best glowboarding team in Texas—if only they could prove it. Nothing will distract Dani from leading the team to victory at this summer’s big race. Not even food explosions in the school cafeteria, or a mysterious midnight message, or secretive government workers in Callaway. . . .

BASTIAN GIL is sick of the bullies who tease him for being a Sardine, for being different. Sure, he and his twin sister, Lola, can share thoughts. That’s just twin telepathy, though—nothing too weird, right? But when Bastian finds he can do even stranger things, he starts to wonder if maybe he really is different from the other kids at school. . . .

LOLA GIL wants life to go back to normal, to a time before big glowboard races and government investigations. But the more the Sardines discover about themselves—like how they can share thoughts and move objects with their minds—the more Lola begins to fear there was never anything normal about her. . . .

When the Sardines receive an ominous, otherworldly message, they must decide if they’ll use their newfound powers to stop an impending disaster—one that could have more to do with the war, their bullies, and glowboarding than they can possibly imagine.

About K.E.:

K.E. Ormsbee writes books, cooks food, & records podcasts in Austin, TX. She is the author of the WATER AND THE WILD fantasy trilogy (Chronicle Books and Gumption Press), folk mystery THE HOUSE IN POPLAR WOOD (Chronicle Books), and the upcoming sci-fi adventure MIDNIGHT ON STRANGE STREET (Disney-Hyperion, January 2020).

She also writes Young Adult novels as Kathryn Ormsbee: LUCKY FEW, TASH HEARTS TOLSTOY, and THE GREAT UNKNOWABLE END (Simon & Schuster).

K.E. Ormsbee likes clothes from the 60s, music from the 70s, and movies from the 80s. She is from the 90s. You can visit her online at keormsbee.com or follow her on Twitter & Instagram @kathsby.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of MIDNIGHT ON STRANGE STREET, US Only.

Rafflecopter Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21045/?

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/20/2020	Lifestyle of Me	Review
1/20/2020	BookHounds Ya	Excerpt
1/21/2020	For the Love of KidLit	Excerpt
1/21/2020	She Just Loves Books	Review
1/22/2020	Jazzy Book Reviews	Excerpt
1/22/2020	Trapped Inside Stories	Review
1/23/2020	Descendant of Poseidon Reads	Review
1/23/2020	Books,Dreams,Life	Excerpt
1/24/2020	Fazila's Book Review Corner	Excerpt
1/24/2020	fictitious.fox	Review

Week Two:

1/27/2020	Savings in Seconds	Review
1/27/2020	Precious books world	Review
1/28/2020	Little Red Reads	Review
1/28/2020	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt
1/29/2020	Ficticiouswonderland	Review
1/29/2020	Books and Zebras	Review
1/30/2020	jrsbookreviews	Review
1/30/2020	Jena Brown Writes	Review
1/31/2020	Eli to the nth	Review
1/31/2020	Two Points of Interest	Review

Book Review - Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

Photo Credit - Amazon

Alice never really believe in luck as she had her fair share of bad luck. However, she still believes in love. Alice has been in love with her best friend, Teddy for years. When Teddy's eighteen birthday arrives, she buys him a lottery ticket attaching a note professing her love for him. The unimaginable happens and Teddy wins the lottery.

Teddy and his mother are overjoyed by the news because they have been struggling financially At first, they are stunned by their good luck but, then  Teddy gets swept up in the fame and fortune of being the youngest winner of $140 million.  With Teddy's sudden influx of cash, things between him and Alice begin to change.

I found the novel to be a fun and entertaining read. It was interesting to see how different people would spend their lottery winnings. I enjoyed most of the characters but, did find them to be a bit annoying. Alice was so blinded by her grief and then her love for Teddy that she didn't take the time to considered other people around her. While I understand and appreciate her need to give money to the less fortunate (I loved Teddy's idea in the end on what to do with his wealth), I didn't like that she was trying to force her way on Teddy. Especially when she mentioned her main motivation behind volunteering. I wish there was more development on some of the characters but, overall it was a nice cozy young adult romance novel.

 **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray

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 The Butler family has been put through their fair share of trials but, when a family secret is exposed, the entire family is sent reeling. Althea is the oldest sister and mother figure to her siblings since their mother passed away. Althea is known for her strong will and her siblings both appreciate and fear her. However, the family is stunned when Althea and her husband, Proctor is arrested for committing fraud. Their family goes from being well-respected icons in the community to being treated as public enemy number one. 

Her sisters, Viola and Lillian, are still trying to come to terms with the scandal. They have to step in and help care for Althea's two teenage daughters. Will the Butler family be able to come to terms with Althea's crimes and begin to heal?

I thought this novel was going to be filled with drama and dramatic twists. Instead, it felt like a cozy read where nothing happened. Page after page, I felt like the story kept dragging with little to add to the story other than Althea is in prison, her daughters miss their family, and the sisters have no idea how to manage the situation. I wish the author spent more time explaining their crimes and their motivation behind it.

 **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - Anyone by Charles Soule

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In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a scientist is working inside her barn trying to locate the cure for Alzheimer's. When she flips a switch on her project, she finds herself mysteriously transported into her husband's body. Her botched attempt to cure Alzheimer's ends up changing her life and the world forever.

Two decades later, all over the world, the "flash" technology enables individuals the ability to transfer their consciousness into another person's bodies. The flash market is available to anyone who meets their criteria and individuals are only allowed to flash for a specified amount of time.  Every aspect of human life has been transformed by technology from travel to warfare to entertainment.

I thought the novel had an interesting premise but, I couldn't finish the rest of the novel, even though I was close to the ending. The story moved very slowly and nothing happened to advance the storyline chapter after chapter.  I was quite disappointed because the beginning of the novel was interesting and I couldn't wait to read more. Then towards the middle of the book because unbearable slow. After being maybe 100 pages shy of finishing the book, I couldn't be bothered with it anymore.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

NCLA Treatment Clean Up Your Act

I usually do my nails at home and because I am an uncoordinated idiot, I make so many mistakes. Someone recommended getting a nail polish remover pen. I have heard good things about the NCLA brand so I decided to give this one a try. The remover pen came with replacement tops in a handy storage compartment on top. I found the sponge application to be hard and hardly any liquid came out. I found it easier just use to the tip just to wipe off the excess nail polish since nothing ever comes out.

Book Review - Estranged by Ethan M. Aldridge

Photo Credit - Amazon

Changeling Edmund and the Human Childe were swapped at birth. Edmund lives in secret among the humans in the World Above. He keeps his powers a secret from his parents and older sister, Alexis. Childe lives in the World Below among the changelings. In the World Below, being a human makes him a curiosity in the royal palace. When a dark force descends on the palace and an evil sorceress Hawthorne takes the throne, Edmund and the Child will have to work together to stop her.

The book had a very basic storyline of two "brothers" fighting for their family. The graphic novel had themes of friendship, family, and loyalty weaved throughout the book. I found it to be a fun read and a good starting point of the next adventure of Edmund and the Childe. I wasn't fond of the washed-out artwork but, it started growing on me. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**