Dream Catcher Series #1-2 by, Lisa McMann

☆☆☆☆.5
Author: Lisa McMann
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Released: March 4th, 2008
Pages: 210
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Source: Library


For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.
She can't tell anybody about what she does because they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.
Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche.. She is a participant.


Ok, we all have dreams and remember only a small fraction of them. Some we wish we could forget. While some can be a haze in the back of our minds, others can be so vivid, they seem real and it's hard to shake off throughout the day. In Janie's case, she not only remembers them, she lives them. But, they aren't hers. Janie has the uncontrollable ability to view the dreams of others that are near her.
After reading the back of the book, I still had no idea where it would lead. Dreams in and of themselves are a world of fascination. We can spend so much time trying to dissect the meaning of them. Some are filled with our personal fears: spiders (ugh), monsters, loved ones dying, or even being chased. Our fantastical hopes could be lived: flying, changing into an animal, exploring a new country. Even our erotic desires: enough said! (think of your own examples!)
But for Janie...she witnesses everyone else's dreams. She has no control of it, no way of stopping what she sees or when it happens. That is scary! I could never imagine what that could entail, the secrets one would possess. I think the author does a fantastic job portraying how that would look, the emotional terror one would experience.
Relating to Janie should be easy for any reader. We all have wondered what it would be like to control our dreams or to be more conscience of them as they happen. Is there a meaning to them? Are they a mirror of the past or the future? Or are they just a reflection of the emotional hurricane that is building inside of us? McMann took it a step further. She planted to protagonist inside someone else's dreams. To watch another's embarrassing fear of standing naked in front of their peers and then seeing them the next day without making a single twitch would be extremely difficult. As the reader, I felt her struggle and knew her desire to never have to experience that.
The written flow was beautiful. You fell for the characters and could easily close your eyes and follow the storyline. And of course, in the end you wanted more...

☆☆☆☆

Author: Lisa McMann

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Released: March 4th, 2008

Pages: 248

Genre: YA, Paranormal

Source: Own

For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They're just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck.

Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody's talking. When Janie taps into a classmate's violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open -- but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie's in way over her head, and Cabe's shocking behavior has grave consequences for them both.

Worse yet, Janie learns the truth about herself and her ability -- and it's bleak. Seriously, brutally bleak. Not only is her fate as a dream catcher sealed, but what's to come is way darker than she'd feared...

Talk about a fast ride from page one! I don't feel like I can delve too much into a review without spilling the beans on this one. Just know that what you learn in the first of this trilogy is nothing compared to the adventure that follows these two. Throughout the pages, you will squeal, tear up, and possibly scream as McMann reveals the next stage in Janie's life  as she jumps from dream to dream. It is unpredictable and you will not be able to set the book down. I can't wait to read Gone and Cabel's Story.

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

☆☆☆☆☆
Author: Kady Cross
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Released: May 24, 2011
Pages: 473
Genre: YA, Steampunk
Source: Netgalley ARC


She thought there was something wrong with her. She was right. Finley Jayne has known for quite some time that she isn't 'normal', but when she beats up the son of her employer and is forced to flee, she stumbles into a world where there are bigger freaks than her. They take her in, treat her like family and demand her trust. How can Finley trust them when she can't trust herself? And why is she drawn to the powerful Griffin as well as the dangerous Jack? She has to get herself under control before she gets into trouble she can't get out of.
Griffin King is one of the most powerful men in Britain but he couldn't save his best friend from almost dying. He is determined to save Finley and help her become the person he knows she can be, but there's evil afoot in London. Machines have attacked humans under the orders of a nefarious criminal called The Machinist. He has sworn to protect his country against such a threat, but he's never faced any foe like this. However, when he discovers The Machinist's connection to his past, Griffin vows to end the villain once and for all -- but he'll need the help of all his friends, including the beautiful Finley Jayne -- the girl in the steel corset.


This is my first introduction to the genre Steampunk. What an intro it was! If all the novels from this genre are this exciting and unusual, then I am in for a treat. Old-fashioned morality, flowing gowns from the west to the orient, all mixed with machines that defy the time-period can only keep the reader intent on not setting the book down.


Kady Cross is a rising star of my top authors. Well versed and continuously surprising, she writes in a way that you want to lap up every word. She is able to illustrate the details down to the clothing without losing the attention of the reader.


Oh and the characters! Finley is your tomboy heroine, but has the gorgeous physique that every woman desires. Tough and rocks a strong attitude, she is still self conscious in a way that you can't help but warm up to. The two side-kicks, Emily and Sam, are one of a kind. Emily is sweet but incredibly smart while Sam is burly and head strong. And then there is Griffin. *swoon* There aren't many male characters that I fall for (yes, I am on neither the vampire or werewolf team), but Griffin stands out among them all. A gentleman by nature, reassuring to his team, and a leader by heart. Yet, he is unafraid to explore his imperfections and emotions. Even his natural abilities to manipulate the aether reflect that side of him.


Romance...YES! Did I mention Griffin King yet? Oh yes I did! The entire novel is a struggle of boundaries between Griffin, Finley, and Jack (the handsome and conniving henchman).


I cannot wait until I get my hands on the second of this series, The Girl in the Clockwork Collar,

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

☆☆☆.5

Author: Cara Lynn Shultz

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 384

Genre: YA Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy

Source: Netgalley ARC

ISBN: 0373210302

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Conner, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

The news of this book was heralded by the many other book reviewers I network with. Until then, I had heard nothing of it. So my excitement was up there when I began this read. In the end, I felt that I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.
Emma is a unique young girl who just wanted to start a new life without the past haunting her. Her move not only brought the dreams of her family's death racing back, but she is being haunted by other pasts not of her own. It becomes a race against fate as she tries to solve the meaning and answers to the strange things that have been happening.
Brendan Salinger is the modern day gentleman that every girl dreams will ask her to the prom. Not wanting to give his heart to anyone, he chose to not have a serious connection to any girl at his high school. Then Emma transferred and his high class world took a chaotic turn. Diving into the curse that brought them together, his character handled every twist and turn.
Emma was hard to relate to. For being someone who was slightly hardened from her past, she seemed to believe the witch's tales pretty quickly and earnestly. It seems implausible, but a teen in love just might go along with anything.
Spellbound was a quick read and entertaining, but not one that I would keep on my favorite shelf. If you want an easy read for a trip to just dive into the paranormal world, this is the one for you!

Double Review: Bullied & Revenge by Christopher Smith

☆☆☆☆

Author: Christopher Smith

Publisher: Trident Media

Version: Kindle

Genre: YA Paranormal, Thriller

Source: Author

ASIN: B004W8E9BW

Contest & Interview

"BULLIED" is the first novella in THE BULLIED SERIES, which focuses on Seth Moore, a relentlessly bullied 17-year-old boy who is gifted an amulet that ignites within him telekinetic powers.

If Seth uses the amulet properly, it will protect him from those determined to crush him. But after so many years of being beaten down and humiliated by the school's popular crowd and the teachers who protect them, the question is whether Seth can keep away from the dark side the amulet offers--and not become a bully himself, even when all hell breaks loose.

BULLIED is an intense thriller that will speak volumes to anyone who has ever been bullied and wished they had a powerful way out. It's also a cautionary tale on the act of bullying itself.

When Christopher first asked me to read his novella series, I was hesitant.  I hadn't heard of many book reviewers accepting author requests.  But, I figured being a new book blogger meant that I couldn't be picky.  I have to say that I was really lucky with what Christopher threw my way.

Bullied will keep your heart pounding with every turn of the page.  You are introduced to Seth, a kid who has been bullied his entire life for reasons he never had control of.  With every punch or mocking word, you real in disgust at the torment he goes through.  But, he is given a chance to redeem his last year of school. With a magical token from his uncle, Seth has the opportunity to take revenge and turn the tables. It's not every day that a victim of bullying gets that chance.

I LOVE SETH. Can I make that any more clear? Who hasn't had their days of being bullied? Who doesn't have a tale to tell? I recall being slammed into a locker my freshman year. I will never forget the tears of rage that burned my eyes or a fury that was unleashed in my veins. Thankfully I let that taunting go only one more day before I stood up to her and put an end to it. Not everyone has the courage to take that stand or the opportunity. Having that knowledge of my own past, it was not difficult to attach myself to this character.

In an interesting twist, I can put myself on the other side of bullying as a teacher. No, I have never let a bully get away with anything in my classroom, but I have seen teachers do so. It is sick, demeaning and an injustice. It is easier to stop in elementary school, though. High school is a whole other world of bullying. Smith outlines the true horrors and gets the reader wanting to take a stand right then.

I was glad that once I finished reading Bullied, Smith had just completed book two, Revenge. The second novella in the trilogy follows Seth's journey of payback. One bully at a time, he works his path to revenge. With some humor laced into the story, the reader has a chance to breath every once in a while. Smith keeps the pace quick, forcing the reader to turn the pages fast as they want to keep up.

Coming soon is the final release in the saga, Witch. As always, The Book Heroine will keep you posted!