The Aurora Stone by Alana Greig

Genre: YA Epic Fantasy/Coming of Age 
Rating: 4.75/5

Evangeline is an elf who has just come of age. An elder gives her a stone and tells her of a prophecy that she is destined to fulfill. She sets off on her quest, stopping in the realm of the witches first. There, she meets Caleb. As Caleb and Eva travel to the various realms gathering allies, they discover a strength within themselves that they did not know existed. Evangeline learns more about her past, some of it heartbreaking. Defeating the great evil that has invaded the land will be costly, but Eva and Caleb are determined to do whatever it takes.

There is just that little "something" about this book that made it really stick with me. I don't read a whole lot of epic fantasy (although, I do enjoy Terry Brooks and JRR Tolkien on occasion), but this book was really refreshing and exciting to read. I loved the setup - there are multiple realms in this world: witches, vampires, elves, etc. - and it is a really rich setting. There are multitudinous ways that the author could go with the stories in this universe, and I find that to be incredibly exciting.

The characters were well done, and the lessons learned were important. Great job, Alana Greig! I look forward to reading more of your work! (I am definitely planning on making this series a part of my children's library when they are older!) This book just made me happy! :-)

Other ratings (potential spoilers):

Violence: Medium - There was some violence in this book in the forms of magic and other paranormal types of things happening. It's not extremely graphic, but some of the things that happen could be considered disturbing to some young people. There is mind control, and the main villain kills quite a few people.

Profanity: None - Hardly any course language.

Sexuality: None - There was only sweet and innocent interactions between the two main characters. They are clearly romantically interested in each other, but there was no sexuality in this book.

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NOTE: I helped edit/proofread this book.

Midnight Moss by Carissa Ann Lynch

Genre: YA Paranormal/Mystery
Rating: 4.5/5
Dorothea has moved into her grandmother's old mansion in a town called Black Cat Springs. As soon as she arrives, she begins to have strange and cryptic dreams. In her explorations around her neighborhood, she discovers a strange fence that has an almost magnetic pull on her. Behind the fence is a thick forest and a lake. As she begins to meet the townspeople and learn more about the history of the lake, she slowly discovers that she is a part of a world of magic, mystery, and danger.
I enjoyed this book because it is a well paced mystery with lots of little interesting twists and turns.

All the characters are quite well written, and the paranormal elements were well thought out. There are some great bits of foreshadowing that indicate that the author put care into crafting the story. Since this is an introductory book, things were introduced slowly. We get to discover the magical elements of the world as Dorothea does. The point of view shifts from her to another character about midway, and this adds another layer to the book.

My single complaint was that the end felt a bit rushed, and I wished we would have delved more into the magical and paranormal aspects (but I suspect that subsequent books will have plenty of that).
I enjoyed this book immensely! The writing was really excellent.

Other ratings (potential spoilers):

Violence: Mild - There is very little violence in the book. At one point, someone describes killing am monster, but it isn't graphic. There is very little that could be potentially disturbing. There is some "grave robbing" mentioned at one point, but that is more creepy than anything. There is only one "jump scare" type moment, but it's fairly anomalous.

Profanity: Mild - Almost no course language.

Sexuality: Mild - Sex is only referred to or insinuated. There are no graphic scenes.

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NOTE: I helped edit this book.

Chrysalis by Maria Macdonald

Genre: YA Paranormal/Coming of Age/Romance
Rating: 4.5/5

Emery has grown up in the foster system thinking that she has no family and no loved ones to care for her. One day, her life changes when she fights back against some bullies in an alley. She discovers that she has powers, and she also finds out that she has a brother: Elijah. He takes her to a safe house where there are others like her and starts to answer some of her questions about who she is and what she can do (although, he cannot answer her questions fast enough to satisfy her intense curiosity for what is happening to her). She meets a gorgeous man named Kade, who has strange shifting eyes and learns that she has a powerful and unique connection to him. As she learns more about herself and this world of magic and light and dark houses, her powers grow and she is continually thrust into a fight for her life.

I enjoyed this book so much because it is full of constant twists and turns. The way the book is structured is brilliant because it gives you almost a feeling like you can't catch your breath - which is exactly how the main character is feeling throughout the book. She is confused and disoriented at first, and she constantly asks questions. This parallels what the reader experiences. More things are revealed little by little, shocking things happen, and the story becomes more and more interesting and immersive. This is one of the most action packed books I have read this year.

I loved the character development in this book. Each character was realistically written and had lots of great character traits as well as flaws that made the book enjoyable. In particular, her evolving relationship with Kade was really frustrating (in a good way).
My only complaint was that it was so action packed that it was hard to pinpoint the actual rise and fall of a true plot. It really worked for this book, however. I am truly looking forward to the next installment. There are some huge and heartbreaking things that happened in this book that I am hoping get resolved.

Thank you, Maria Macdonald, for an excellent piece of Paranormal literature!

Other Ratings:

Violence: Mild - Although there are some people who are killed in this book, there is nothing too graphic or disturbing.

Profanity: Mild - No excessive use of curse words.

Sexuality: Mild - Sex is merely discussed. There are no sex scenes, and there really isn't anything other than passionate kissing.

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(NOTE: I helped edit this book!)

Sweet Nightmares by Zizi Cole

Genre: Paranormal/Mystery/Romance
Rating: 4.25/5

Alexandrea has returned home after a tragic occurrence - her parents have been murdered. Her grief is multiplied when she is haunted by nightmares - she begins to wonder if she is a monster. Did she kill her parents? If not, who did? Why? She reconnects with her old boyfriend, Jake, who helps her through this difficult time in her life. Along with her clairvoyant cousin, Mia, Alexandrea tries to get to the bottom of what is going on.

This book is a bit mystery, a bit thriller, and a bit romance. Alexandrea has a very warm and supportive group of people around her to help her through this difficult time. It is exciting to see her discover things about her heritage throughout the book. There is a lot of suspense, and I was constantly guessing as to who the murderer might be. Things got really interesting when we learned about some of the supernatural forces at play.
I loved the scenes about the Book of Shadows and the discussions about the sigil. I really hope we get to see more of the supernatural aspects in the next book.

My only complaint was that it felt a little light on the paranormal elements!

A well crafted, thrilling, and (at times) creepy book. I am looking forward to the next installment!

Other ratings:

Violence: Heavy - There are some reasonably graphic scenes in this book. Throat slashing, hearts beating outside of a body, eyeballs dangling, blood dripping, shooting, and stabbing. It is sometimes disturbing, and it described thoroughly.

Profanity: Medium- There is profanity, but it is not used excessively. A word, F bomb, S word, etc. These were not overused.

Sexuality: Mild - There is almost no sexuality in this book apart from one scene. There is nothing explicit, only implied.

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NOTE: I helped edit this book!

Francine's New Name by Caitlin McCulloch

Genre: Children's
Rating 5/5
This is a delightful book by a brand new author - Caitlin McCulloch - and illustrator Rayan Turner.
The story is cute and has a great message: We are all unique and special individuals, and our names have meaning.
In the story, Francine tells her mommy that she wants a new name because she does not like hers. After some thought, Francine decides to keep her name.
Her mommy tells her at the end of the story why she is named "Francine."
The book has awesome illustrations and is adorable! It has just enough silliness to appeal to small children, but will touch the hearts of the parents who read it as well.
Great book, Caitlin and Rayan!

I know that the author has plans to create a whole Francine series and I am SO EXCITED to get my hands on the rest of them!

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Daddy's Angel (Weeping Willow 1) by Steven Evans

Genre: Horror/Paranormal
Rating 4.5/5
I am glad that I had a chance to read this book because it is not my usual genre, but I found it to be quite delightfully creepy and emotional. It is pretty dark and depressing at times, but as I have thought about the book since reading it initially, I realized that it has stuck with me. Readers will want to keep in mind that there are MORE books in this series. The main character goes through some rough stuff, but the next book answers some of the questions and is a little lighter.
A man loses his wife and child and spirals into an abyss of grief, trying to kill himself slowly because he wants to torture himself for not being there to save his loved ones. His grief is so powerful that it attracts a demon to him. She visits him and causes him even more grief, despite him trying to escape the nightmares of his life. She will not leave him alone, and he must figure out a way to get rid of this strange and seductive demon woman.
As noted, it's pretty dark, but there IS light at the end of the tunnel and this is an AWESOME series!
Great job, Mr. Evans!

Other ratings:

Violence: Mild - There is very little actual violence. There are things implied, such as a woman being burned at the stake, and the man's family dies in a car accident. This is disturbing, but nothing is too graphic.

Profanity: Mild - Very mild language is used. Nothing excessive.

Sexuality: Medium- There are a few sex scenes in the book that are described in moderate detail. Nowhere near the level of erotica.

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(Also check out the next book in the series, "The Mark" (an AWESOME book as well)
*NOTE - I helped edit this series!

Just Things by Erin Lee

Genre: Horror/Psychological Thriller
Rating 5/5

This book is superbly written - Erin Lee is very adept at storytelling, and this book kept me interested throughout. It's not my normal genre, but I enjoyed it immensely. I also learned a lot about sociopaths and serial killers. There was a lot of great information that came along with this chilling and disturbing story.
Jimmie Putnam is a Momma's boy. He views the world a little differently. When he encounters certain women, he finds himself wanting to add them to his collection of "Things." He has favorite things just like he has favorite flavors of ice cream. They are all - the Things and the ice cream - kept in freezers. He fancies himself a good master; he buys them nice things to wear and takes them out to keep them company.
Detective Florel, a women who lost her sister years ago, is working on the case of the "Ice Cream Killer." She keeps detailed records and is close to catching him.
This book starts at the beginning, with Thing one, and takes us all the way  to Jimmie's most recent Thing. We see how Florel interprets each murder/disappearance. The most interesting thing about this book was to see the parallels between Jimmie and Florel. I am looking forward to seeing them meet face to face at some point in a future book.
Chilling and fascinating! Great job, Erin Lee!

Other ratings:

Violence: Medium - Although this book is about a serial killer, there is little actual violence. I rated this a medium since it is quite disturbing material.

Profanity: Medium - There is some language in this book, but it is not used excessively.

Sexuality: Medium - Again, like with the violence, there is no explicit sexuality in the book. There are a few things that are implied: incent and necrophilia, but nothing is described in detail.

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Check out the next book in the series while you are at it, Jimmie's Ice Cream!
*NOTE: I helped edit this book!