Salem’s Vengeance (Vengeance Trilogy Book 1)
By Aaron Galvin 

Sarah loved the late night dances beneath the moonlight she shared with her three nearest and dearest friends. But all that changed when Hecate, the supposed daughter of the devil, showed up, secretly slipped a small diary into the pocket of Sarah's apron. It was the diary belonging to one of the men who she would learn orchestrated the evils that took place 19 years early in Salem. Was the same about to befall Winford, or was the only evil at work here revenge?

Salem's Vengeance is intelligently written. Aaron Galvin is super clever in the way this book piggybacks off of Arthur Miller's, The Crucible, a classic written in 1953. I'd almost stretch to call it fan fiction.  Regardless of what you’d call it the layering of the two stories is very well done.

The story is told from the POV of Sarah Kelly. She and her two siblings-George and Rebecca-live with their devote, church-going parents. The picture perfect family until the moonlit night Hecate made her ominous arrival into Sarah and her three girlfriends' lives. And for some reason Hecate has singled Sarah out. Is it the devil's work at hand or is something else going on? Of course, you'll have to read yourself in order to find out because I'm not going to ruin the excitement!

Aside from a great story line, Salem's Vengeance is well edited with great imagery. Galvin does a great job writing for the time period-the early 1700's. You never doubt the validity of the descriptions, dialogue, and historical references.

I must warn those who are opposed to reading anything about witchcraft and the paranormal should probably skip this book. Albeit this a YA book, there's quite a bit of violence. However, the majority is historically accurate and could be compared to any American history textbook.

As I'm sure you've guessed by now, I truly enjoyed this book and I feel many of you will as well. And as an aside, I feel that many adults would enjoy this book as well as the YA crowd. I am hoping I'll have the opportunity to review the next book as this is a trilogy.

A Fae

On the Way to Everywhere
By Kirsten Bloomberg Feldman

Here's the thing I love about YA books: I love that I can read a story that isn't difficult, that keeps me engaged without me having to really work for it, and that tells a story that's geared toward the kinds of issues that we've all gone through, no matter how many years ago it happened. Even when I can't relate to what's going on in them I can still kinda relate!  It's spectacular, they're the kinds of books that really pull me in and keep me hooked.

On the Way to Everywhere by Kirsten Bloomberg Feldman is exactly all of those things. It tells the story of a girl, Harry, and yes, we know you're giving her That Look about the name, who doesn't feel like she fits in at all.  She's faced with all the typical issues that a not-so-popular girl in high school is handed, but it's all in addition to the very particular sort of madness that comes with having a family who's completely bonkers.  Her mother is a prim and prissy dancer, obsessed with youth and fitness, and her father is the disconnected Head of her private school. Throw in a half-brother on one side and a perfectly terrible half-sister on the other, a best friend who helps you with math and a drooling, panting sidekick, and what do you get? The perfect recipe for personal growth, that's what!

This book was everything I want out of a YA novel.  The cast of quirky characters kept me entertained-- and more than that, it felt inclusive without even trying too hard to be that way. Nothing felt forced upon me in terms of diversity or plot, nor did it feel necessarily predictable, but the reader is given just enough hints to be clued into what Harry's future might hold.  She's the kind of girl who wants so badly to escape her own life that she forgets to live it-- that is, until suddenly, she realizes she might be doing it wrong. It's one of those things she has to figure out for herself, and I love characters like that, who are guided into becoming the kind of person we're all rooting for by the fascinating forces around them.

Truthfully, my only complaint was that I felt like the last quarter was a little rushed. But as soon as I thought that I realized that the important parts, the struggles and exposition and movement from Harry as a hardheaded teenager with an attitude problem to a girl who finally recognizes that she cares about her life, were what we all really wanted to learn about in the first place.  It's the journey that matters, and Feldman offers a truly captivating road trip for Harry, from beginning to end.  If you're a girl who needs a reminder that you can do anything you want as long as you put your mind to it and put the effort into it to achieve it, this is definitely the book for you.  It's the kind of thing I'd want my own daughters (and sons!) to read, and that's about the best compliment I can give to a book

 

Amanda Scott

Rehabilitation
By CB Stone

After the God Wars Sinna Reardon’s only pleasure comes from venturing in to the Old World cities with Jacob to search for items they can sell or trade in the After World sector they live in.  Both parentless, Jacob is old enough to live on his own, but Sinna stays in a girl’s home of sorts.  On their adventures Sinna worries because the one thing Jacob is looking for is forbidden.

Jacob is always in search of something that could seriously get them in trouble with the Elite-those that govern the new world. In a way their rules seem simple; don't repeat the mistakes of the past; don't seek love; don't engage in war; and finally don't Believe. Although Sinna has no problem following the rules, she can't for the life of her get her nearest and dearest friend to follow one of them. It puts both of them at risk for being chosen for Selection and possibly even being sent to Rehabilitation, a place that if people return from they have dead eyes and never seem quite the same.


But one day Jacob is taken by the Elite and so Sinna's journey begins to rescue him, even if it means pretending to Believe.
I found Rehabilitation an interesting yet quite redundant at times. Stone seems to possibly have struggled, using the repeating of the same details over and over as filler. It didn't necessarily distract from the story, but I found it unfortunate to say the least. 


I also struggled with what seemed to be the underlying moral of the story-belief in things unsupported by fact, which of course includes a belief in a higher power. However - and I found this an enormously insightful point on the part of stone - the belief in a higher power seems to have been at the root of so many wars. It got me thinking about how many wars have been fought in the name of a higher power as far back as history goes. Therefore it made interesting sense that the Elite would ban such beliefs in an effort to keep the world peaceful.

All in all, Rehabilitation is a quick YA dystopian read that definitely entertains.  The characters are well-developed and the story line is original.  Aside from the two issues I had trouble with, I think both YA and adult readers alike will enjoy this book.   

Water Witch: Elementals Book 1
By Alison Highland

Water Witch by Alison Highland is an exceptionally written tale of the life of a woman who belonged to the sea-in more ways than one. Highland takes us on a journey filled with pirates, privateer and naval sailors, and the superstitions that rule the sea.

Captain Marra Wend grew up on a sloop with her father at the helm. There was never any question that her mother, who died when she was young, was a witch – which caused Marra to have powers as well.  However, this was not something shared with the crew of the Broadsword due to the deep seeded superstitions attached to witches’ spells and such related to the sea.  Not a ship one wanted to have a witch cast a charm on their ship.  After the death of Marra’s father she takes over as captain of the Broadsword, reluctant to settle for the life of a proper lady despite the perfect suitor. 

Marra is on a journey of discovery. She's trying to discover: where she comes from; who she's been; who she is now; and where she wants to be in the future.  The journey takes her through some exciting adventures on the sea as well as on land.  As an uncontrollable whirlpool disrupts the waters and swallows up ship after ship, Marra teams up with the least likely ally to figure out a way to make it go away, which begins by finding the witch that cast the charm.  What an adventure that becomes!

There was no doubt to me that Highland knows her way around a ship.  I found myself searching the internet for pictures of the parts of the ship and the types of ships she described.  I felt like I was walking on the deck of a ship at times. 

My only complaint would be that between Marra and another of the main characters, Nat, I felt there was a secret only the two of them knew and, as a reader, I had been left out of it,.  It just made some exchanges between them difficult to understand.  But perhaps that is the way it was intended.

My hope is that Highland will continue this series – since the title seems to imply there will be more than one book.  Her writing is exceptional and the editing is very well done. I would definitely read the next in the series and I hope my readers will too!

I just wanted to take a moment to apologize to my loyal readers that there have not been as many reviews posted as of late.  I've definitely still been reading, but due to some health concerns I was unable to get online as often as I'd like,  My hope is that I'll be able to get online more often if my health will cooperate.  Again, I am sorry it's been so slow but please check out the reviews to come.  Thank you for your support and readership.