Review: We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

Purchase Price: $12.99 on Amazon.ca
We Need New Names [Kindle Edition]

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Authors of Color, Women's Fiction, Fictional Memoir, Cultural Experiences

Book Description: Darling is only 10 years old, and yet she must navigate a fragile and violent world. In Zimbabwe, Darling and her friends steal guavas, try to get the baby out of young Chipo's belly, and grasp at memories of Before. Before their homes were destroyed by paramilitary policemen, before the school closed, before the fathers left for dangerous jobs abroad. But Darling has a chance to escape: she has an aunt in America.

She travels to this new land in search of America's famous abundance only to find that her options as an immigrant are perilously few. NoViolet Bulawayo's debut calls to mind the great storytellers of displacement and arrival who have come before her--from Zadie Smith to Monica Ali to J.M. Coetzee--while she tells a vivid, raw story all her own.

Review:
We Need New Names was nothing that I could have anticipated, and it was everything one could wish for when reading contemporary non-fiction. NoViolet Bulawayo intrigues with a unique writing style that alternates from the honest observations of her main protagonist, 10 year old Darling, and then spliced in sections that pertain more to the group experience of living in a country where there is political decay, civil war, and poverty to the extreme. She takes both these styles and weaves the tale of Darling, as she lives in a Zimbabwean shanty town called 'Paradise', and later as she comes to America to live with her Aunt, and her Auntie's family.

Although it takes you a while to adjust to her writing style, lack of punctuation, and stream of consciousness mode of expression, NoViolet Bulawayo quickly draws you in with her honest and innocent portrayal of young Darling as she navigates the dangerous terrain of the Shanty Town, it's broken people, and the constant hunger that plagues her and all her friends. The innocence of a child combined with the real desperation of a people suffering from political upheaval and civil breakdown, give you such a clear view of exactly who Darling is. While she and her friends wander the streets and steal guavas from the local gated community populated by affluent foreigners, there is so much that breaks your heart for these children. They are roaming un-monitored since schools have been closed down, and they try to think about games to play as they make observations about the world around them, and speak about what they will be when they are grown.

Meanwhile, Darling finally makes it to America and lives with her aunt and 'uncle', and her cousin who was born in the States. Her adjustment to this new and strange country is described with the true culture shock one might only imagine, but observed through Darling's eyes, it is somehow more real, more sad, more heartbreaking. She is bullied at school, has to adjust to using English - and at the same time adopt the slang and accent of her peers so as to fit in. A huge task for anyone, but particularly a young girl, coming of age, torn from a country she loves and the people and culture she knows. It is amazing just how many aspects of her life she is forced to alter, yet on the inside, she stays the same observant and honest soul.

This book verges on poetry more often than not. No sugar coating, there is so much pain expressed about the immigrant experience that I had never really considered. As a nurse, I have treated patients from all over the world, many of them refugees to Canada, who have very little experience with the language. Yet these new-comers are expected to communicate clearly even during the most stressful of situations, and it is hard to find translators in an emergency. I never really took all these items into account, but now I see that the children they deliver on my obstetrics unit represent so much more than a new baby, it gives them a tie to their new home. This book will forever change the way I interact with these patients.

At many points in the novel, I found myself wanting to cover my eyes and scream, "Please no, please no, please no!"; which makes no sense until you read about the horrors and the violence NoViolet describes with such startling clarity. I won't spoil these parts by describing them, but placed next to the innocent and inquiring nature of Darling, they are than much more shocking. This book picks up speed as it rages on, and you will have difficulty putting it down.

Fired Up Rating: 5/5 Flames

Bottom Line: I recommend this novel to anyone who works with new immigrants to America, or any other country that takes in refugees and students visa's into it's embrace. My eyes were thrown wide open to issues I had never considered, and I had a pretty solid idea of how difficult the transitions can be to begin with, working in the area of nursing I do, Obstetrics. It is more than a story about a girl's journey to America, it is a story about loss, true sorrow, fractured families, and the cruelty of the "Promise" of the American Dream. There is good and bad in both the before and the after parts of Darling's journey, but it is her unflinching honesty and manner of observing the world that makes this book such a winner. NoViolet Bulawayo is one to watch, a "must read" for me.

** This Review is based on an ARC obtained through Goodreads First Reads Giveaways. The opinions expressed are my own and are in no way influences by Goodreads, The Author, or the Publisher of this material. **

Review: Mother: A Novel by Angel Gelique

Purchase Price: $2.99 on Amazon.ca
Mother: A Novel [Kindle Edition]

Genre: Literature & Fiction, Family Life

Book Description: When her husband abandons them for another woman, Jane Winston is left to raise their teen-aged daughter as a single mother. She loves Emma more than anything in the world and would do anything for her—no matter how high the cost. Emma, on the other hand, hates her mother and goes out of her way to make her life miserable. What will it take to restore the loving relationship they once had and can it be mended before it’s too late?

This story will take you on a tearful journey as you explore a volatile mother-daughter relationship. Sometimes things aren’t better left unsaid…sometimes love doesn’t conquer all…and sometimes you don’t get a second chance at a happy ending….

Review:
I wanted to like this book, I really did, but I had a lot of trouble liking and developing a connection to the characters and some of the story points, although I do appreciate what the author was trying to do here. <b>Mother</b> is the story of an adult parent, Jane, and her soon to be 16 year-old daughter Emma. After the break-up of Jane's marriage due to infidelity on the part of the now absent Gregory, her self-esteem takes a beating and her relationship with her daughter becomes at first contentious, and then outright combative on the part of Emma. As the relationship between the two fractures further, we see both Jane and Emma fall apart in their own respects, and the wear and tear of the emotional climate takes it's toll on both.

First, let's look at Jane, the around-forty-ish mother of Emma, an only child. Sometime during the marriage, Jane discovers her husband in bed with another woman, in her own bed no less. For some reason, Jane decides immediately that her marriage is over, and while agreeing to co-habitate with Gregory for the sake of their daughter, does not pursue any counselling (for herself or as a couple), and does not pursue a divorce, nor do they share any of their difficulties with their daughter. When Gregory eventually leaves, no explanation is forthcoming from him as to his reasons for leaving, and Emma is not given any information by her mother. This is my first real issue with the story. A child of 14 is old enough to understand divorce and separation without having to hear explicit details about infidelity. In any case, Jane doesn't offer any explanations, and in the void, Emma comes to the belief that it is her mother's weight problem that has driven her father from the home. Despite several allusions to this belief, Jane makes no attempt to clear up the misconception, and receives a great deal of verbal abuse from her daughter alluding to her being 'fat' and 'gross'.

This is where my biggest issue with the character of Jane. She is an adult, and while we all suffer from low self esteem, the way Jane deals with this is entirely puzzling. She accepts the abuse in increasing frequency, from her daughter, and there is no rational thinking at any point. She cries, she feels bad, she still caters to her daughters every whim, she never indicates that she does not wish to be spoken to in this manner, and she becomes a victim. I found her whole person to be oriented to very little introspection, and entirely in the mode of rationalization of her behaviour and her daughter's. She really seemed to be another teenager in a relationship with her own teenage daughter. She sets no boundaries, no restrictions, and no consequences. We also are given frequent allusions to Jane's health status, her fainting and feeling frequent pain, yet she at no time seeks medical attention for herself. Lack of self-care is common in 'battered-woman's syndrome', so on one level, I can see this as a possibility. However, as the sole caretaker for her daughter, financially and physically, I would have thought her health was of more importance than to be rationalized away as indigestion over and over and over despite failure to respond to antacids.

While we watch Jane flounder about, reeling from her daughter's abuse, we also find Emma in her own turmoil. She is one angry girl, and she is clearly suffering from a body-dismorphic disorder, particularly anorexia. She internalizes the belief that her father has abandoned the family as a result of her 'fat gross mother', and has adopted a pattern of starving herself in an attempt to prevent herself from getting fat.  She takes out her anger on her mother, physically, and by destroying her mother's property, and by heaping verbal abuse on her mother in full view of others. She is never disciplined for this, never meant to face any consequences. Rather Jane seems to think she is a good mother by simply patiently awaiting her daughter's outgrowing of this stage, and stands by ready to cater to her daughter's needs - be it chauffeuring her about, making meals for her, buying her special gifts, planning elaborate surprise parties, etc. - this desire on Jane's part to be a "Good Mother" seems to miss the point entirely. She notices her daughter is getting dangerously thin, yet never actually addresses the issue with Emma, or even speaks to a doctor until it may be too late.

I hate to say that the most mature character in the entire novel, the only one who seems to see the problem, is on of Emma's teenage friends, Sarah. She is the only character who has any grasp on reality, on a normal mother-daughter relationship, and that her friend is in trouble. By the time I reached the point of the novel where I could no longer tolerate the unreal relationship between Jane and Emma, and on the sidelines, Emma's father Gregory, I decided to just push through to the end to see if there was any redemption coming for any of the adults, or anyone clued in enough to reach Emma before it was too late. I just found myself rolling my eyes again and again, I was so glad to be done with the story.

I am not a mother, but I am a 40 year-old woman who has a mother who is far from perfect but has always loved me. My parents were separated when I was 16 years old, and though I was angry at both of them at various times, I did not get a free pass to treat them badly. I still had rules to follow, I still had a curfew, and I still respected my parents enough to call them, even when I was breaking the rules, just to let them know where I was, and that I was safe. I find the relationship dynamics between the mother-daughter pair to be absolutely broken, that does not happen overnight, somewhere along the line Emma was given the impression that her vote was equal in the running of her life, and that she drove the boat, so to speak. While parents going through divorce are almost certain to make mistakes, to err on the side of wanting to be liked, of reducing conflict with their children, they do not take leave of their senses. If we are to believe that Jane was a college educated woman who works and supports herself and her daughter, there is no explanation for this altogether juvenile view of the parenting role, unless there is some back-story that might indicate that.

As a nurse, I can say that at best, this novel works wonderfully as a psychological case study for a dysfunctional family dynamic, but that is about all I can say to it's credit. I hate to provide any negative reviews, particularly to a first novel, but I really found that there was so much more that could have been done with this story. Most of the writing is solid, it is just the character flaws that are hard to get around as believable in any way. There were a few editing issues, mispelled words and such, that were missed, this is a pet-peeve of mine, but perhaps my novel was a preview copy and that can be remedied.


Fired Up Rating: 2/5 Flames

 

Bottom Line: I cannot in good faith recommend this novel, based on a thorough reading, for the reasons stated above.

** Note: This novel was provided as a review copy through a Goodreads, First Reads giveaway. The opinions expressed are my own, and have been in no way influenced by Goodreads, the publisher of the novel, or it's author. **

Review: Apocalypsis: Book 4 (Haven) by Elle Casey

Purchase Price: $4.96 CDN on Amazon.ca
Apocalypsis: Book 4 (Haven) [Kindle Edition]

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Fiction, Young Adult, Action Adventure, Series

Book Description: My name's Bryn Mathis. I'm seventeen years old, and I'm alive at a critical time in our world's history, unlike all the adults and babies who didn't survive the virus that almost wiped out the human race. Alliances are building, enemies are gathering, and everything's about to reach the boiling point. I'm in a race against time to get Haven ready for the final showdown, a confrontation that could very possibly destroy everything my friends and I have worked so hard to create. People I trusted have betrayed me. People who I thought were my enemies are not. Nothing is as it seems, and nothing will ever be the same for me, now that I've embarked on this one last adventure that could be the undoing of everything that is me. [From Amazon.ca]

Review:
This last book in the Apocalypsis Series, Haven was so much more than I could have expected, which is exactly what I have come to expect to the fabulous Elle Casey.

Picking up precisely where were left in the third book in the series, this final novel brings us in with no gentle embrace, we find Bryn, Peter, Bodo, and the rest of the 'survivors' finding shelter behind the chain-link and razor wire fences at the Florida prison they have come to call 'Haven'. With a steady influx of starving and wounded children, and work to be done, the group begins the unpleasant and often horrific work of 'cleaning' out the leftovers from the previous inhabitants of the prison. One scene in particular was so gruesome and shocking that I found myself feeling ill. I was really surprised to find myself reacting thusly, as I am a nurse and in no way unfamiliar with all manner of body exudates and have seen and handled many deceased in my time on the job. This was supremely gross, and I am impressed by Casey's ability to craft horror into a story that has been largely shocking, but not necessarily creepy and scary.

Bryn and friends realize that with the arrival of news that the kids in the Glades have been besieged by the hideously evil 'Canners', they must leave their sanctuary and go to try to get as many as they can to safety. As a small group heads out on the road to reach the Kahayatle, meeting trouble almost the entire way. There are some new friends, and new connections that serve to be monumentally important for the survival of the 'peace-minded'. But there are also cruel twists, malevolent individuals that have turned to such a dark place they are beyond reach.

Throughout the story, we are met with the conflict brewing between Bryn and her boyfriend Bodo. While Bryn decides to 'come clean' with Bodo about her small romantic indiscretion when he was lost to the group and likely dead, he refuses to forgive her, and piles on additional problems by refusing to speak to her and then becoming more secretive about his past. The tension is palpable, and it is finally a real teenage relationship. Of course, the communication troubles are compounded by the stress of attempting a rescue of friends where trust is essential.

When the Bryn and Bodo eventually reach the swamps, the signs are ominous. The boats are gone, and they must get into 'gator infested waters to get deeper into the area. There is a lot of loss in this novel, perhaps more than in all the other "Apocalypsis" series books combined. It is filled with violent struggles, society's breakdown now beyond repair as far as the "Canners" go, and people are fighting for land, food, resources, and just to stay alive. The consequences of a system breakdown on this societal level has left things like medication and other necessities of life scarce and disappearing rapidly. Casey has clearly thought about this deeply, and it is presented with the drama and dark humour one would expect, but also the sadness that cuts through it all.

Though there seems to be a challenge erupting the moment they adjust to the previous trauma's tremors, the group is tight knit and seem to be so well equipped to work together to create the world they want to live in, the kind of world that Bryn's father would have wanted for his daughter, and the one Bryn so richly deserves. While there is always trouble on the horizon, and room for new stories to be spun from all over the continent, by all the teens who are facing the horror and joys to be found in the 'new world', this book is immensely satisfying.

As others have hinted, the ending is not one most expected, not one that I saw coming, but it is precisely why Elle Casey is such an exceptional writer. You care about her characters, you root for the under-dog, you are horrified - thrilled- overwhelmed - and overjoyed as they all move through their individual journeys. Not everyone has a happy ending, not everyone makes it through the struggle, others are beyond hope, but they are all remarkably real, and you can understand on some level how they became the way they have after the tragedy that has befallen human-kind.

The scenes are fleshed out with the kind of detail that makes them so visually accessible, almost immediately, without being weighed down with too much flowery or filler words. The words have purpose, they move the story along, but there is also so much there to flesh out the story and make it feel real. It falls precisely into that perfect wedge of balance few authors get right. Elle Casey got it right in this novel, and in all the other works I have read from her. You shall not be disappointed.

Fired Up Rating: 5/5 Flames

 

Bottom Line: Highly Recommended. Read the whole series, you will absorb these novels into your soul, and they are fast reads - and they will stay with you. You will wonder what the characters are up to, even when you know that their world is not our world, it is just too real to ignore. Amazing read!

Review: Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

Purchase Price: $13.99 CDN on Amazon.ca
Wave [Kindle Edition]

Genre: Personal Memoir, Natural Disasters, Biography, Auto-Biography, Loss, Grief, Trauma, Contemporary Non-Fiction

Book Description: On the morning of December 26, 2004, on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, Sonali Deraniyagala lost her parents, her husband, and her two young sons in the tsunami she miraculously survived.

**This Review May Contain Some Spoilers**

There is nothing more human than the ability to empathize with another human being. There is nothing more frightening than the unknown. And there is no singular fear that is as universal as the fear of losing control. Wave is a memoir of one woman's utter decimation by a singular moment of what was previously unknown, and at the same time, utterly beyond her control. Sonali Deraniyagala opens up her soul and shares something so raw, so real, so heartrendingly personal, you will never forget it.

How many people had ever even heard of a Tsunami of the magnitude that struck on Boxing Day in 2004. For someone to be battered and tossed about like a rag-doll in the churning waves, to have family ripped from your hands and never be seen again, to have so many people all as lost and broken as you are, all at the same time, it is like hundreds of 9/11s happening all at once, and no one is to blame. There is no face to that kind of destruction, no terrorists, no country, who do you blame?

Sonali Deraniyagala's story is raw and painful and tragic, and I am quite certain that is the case for everyone who experienced the Tsunami of Boxing Day 2004. How do you wrap your brain around something that has destroyed your entire world in just mere minutes of a freak happening, something no one could have imagined or prepared for, something that had previously no widely understood context in the modern world. I was not even half way in to Sonali's story and at that point I could never begin to imagine how she survived that day, let alone the months and years that followed.

If you have read stories of personal loss and tragedy before, if you feel that you know pain, I can only say that this is unlike anything I have read or experienced myself. There is a true discernible difference to this kind of tragic loss, this kind of previously unknown trauma. We grow up learning about the dangers in the world around us, we learn about car accidents, water safety, stranger danger, and fires. Before Boxing Day 2004, no one truly knew the dangers of a Wave, not on this scale. Drowning was a singular experience, or maybe something that happened in a boating accident, not something that happened on a mass scale of natural violence and immense unfathomable loss.

There are many stories of earth-shattering loss available in the form of memoirs or historical accounts, but we have heard relatively little in the way of first-hand accounts from the December 2004 Tsunami, and I think that speaks to the sheer horror experienced by the survivors, their inability or unwillingness to relive those desperate moments, hours, days, weeks... we have heard stories from some of the travelers and vacationers caught up in the Wave, but compile that with the number of locals in Sri Lanka,Thailand, and other affected areas. Many who could tell of the horrors of that day may not be literate, they may have never recovered, or may not even consider this something to be spoken of, how do you put into words something that changed everything you thought you knew or understood in one horrific and violent freak happening. You will cry, you will question, you will be beaten raw by the pain in this one woman's account of her personal hell.

Fired Up Rating: 4.5/5 Flames

Bottom Line:  This book is very different, and it is not in a sensational way, it is in the absolute totality of Sonali's loss, and how unreal the entire event must have seemed, even to those who survived it. How does one put it into words? Somehow, Sonali found her way to the place where she could, and I think that her sharing a glimpse into the hell her world became can only make us feel more human, more fragile, more connected, and more alone all at once. A must-read for students of life, loss, and those seeking an understanding of the multiple ways in which the brain processes grief.

** This review is based on a preview copy of Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala, received through Goodreads First Reads. The opinions expressed in this review are mine alone and have not been influenced in any way by the publisher or author.**

Review: New World Order by Elle Casey

Purchase Price: $4.96 CDN on Amazon.ca
War of the Fae: Book 4 (New World Order) [Kindle Edition]

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fiction, Fantasy, Series, Epic, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Teen, Action Adventure

**This Review Contains Some Spoilers** 

In this fourth, and I believe final, book in the War of the Fae series, we are reunited with all of our favorite friends from the previous three novels in this epic story. Picking up where things left off in Darkness & Light, Elle Casey gives us more of this wonderfully crafted fantasy. Don't despair that the story is about to come to an end, however, there is plenty more of Jayne Sparks Blackthorn and her friends in the Clash of the Otherworlds saga, which immediately picks up where the War of the Fae series leaves off. But before we get there, we are taken on yet another amazing ride courtesy of Casey.

We begin with beloved character Jayne's attempt to recover from a shocking battle with the the Dark Fae, who launched an attack on the Light Fae compound. Jayne's inability to control her elemental powers of Earth and Water has left her in the dark, quite literally, and she must depend upon her friends to help her find her way. Her friend Becky, a Water Sprite, is missing. Her protector Chase is still seemingly aligned with the enemy, and now there is evidence that things back in the human world are not well.

Jayne and her best friend Tony, who is now a changeling as well, find some disturbing messages coming from home, and must decide how to deal with this threat to their families back home in Florida.  With war on the horizon, there is risk in any decision, and Jayne can sense that there is something very wrong with these calls to return home.

Jayne also is battling with her own heart, finally realizing that she has very strong feelings for one person in particular, and the one person she might have no chance at a future with. We finally see the softer side of Jayne, the tough facade eroded to reveal a girl very much trying to find her place in the world and someone to love.

There is just too much greatness in this novel for me to spoil with hints in this post. If you have been following my previous reviews, you will know that there is so much going on, I couldn't possibly give away all of it. But this time, I want you to discover it all on your own. This fourth and final novel in the War of the Fae series is endlessly satisfying, but will leave you with the most shocking turn of events imaginable. It is heartrendingly good reading, and you will find yourself teary eyed when all is said and done.

While I have always felt these books are most appropriate for Young Adults and Adult readers, I want to stress that they are as much accessible to male readers and to female readers.  These are not even remotely like some Paranormal Young Adult novels with a female protagonist that seem to revolve around love and heart break, these books are about action, war, friendship, and finding out who you are truly meant to be. There is cussing, and some romance, but it is all very PG and not at all the center of the story, so don't hesitate to grab up this series as the perfect gift for your Teen or Young Adult readers.

Fired Up Rating: 5/5 Flames

Bottom Line:  If you have been reading the previous books in the War of the Fae series, or plan too, you can be confident that this novel is as good if not better than its predecessors. Elle Casey's writing is almost impossible to put down, and satisfies the reader endlessly. You will be happy to know that this story, while culminating in this fourth novel in the War of the Fae series, is thankfully continued in the next series of books by Elle Casey, Clash of the Otherworlds.

Review: Darkness & Light by Elle Casey

Purchase Price: $4.96 CDN on Amazon.ca
War of the Fae: Book 3 (Darkness & Light) [Kindle Edition]

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fiction, Fantasy, Series, Epic, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Teen, Action Adventure

**This Review Contains Some Spoilers** 

The one thing I can always count on from author Elle Casey, is her uncanny ability to hook a reader into a story or series, and tie them relentlessly into the journey of not only the main protagonist, but also all supporting characters, both good and not so nice. The War of the Fae series is perhaps one of the best examples of this magical connection with her readers. Casey has created a whole world of characters that you very quickly care very much about.

The third book in the War of the Fae series, Darkness & Light, answers many of the questions left hanging by it's predecessor, Call To Arms, and kicks the story into high gear with a lot more action and drama than you can see coming.

We again find main protagonist, Jayne Sparks Blackthorn, adjusting to her life as a "Changeling", learning to move from the human world to her new Fae world. The power she is capable of calling up to her manipulation, known as "The Green", or Earth, is now linked to another element that she can wield, Water.

But all that power is not always an easy thing to manage. Jayne again finds herself stumbling in the dark with no guide as to how she can control these huge elemental forces of Earth and Water. But being in the possession of great power also leaves Jayne vulnerable to those who would wish to use her as a means to accomplish dark and mysterious ends. Jayne's natural streak of rebellion and independence puts her in harms way too often.

Now re-connected with her dearest friend Tony, Jayne finally feels as if things will begin to settle down. She could not have been more mistaken.  The impending war between the Light Fae and the Dark Fae means that no-one can rest, and no one is safe.

Jayne's mischievous friend Tim the Pixie accidentally doses her personal body guard and Daemon protector, Chase, with his pixie dust, and Chase turns into a bubbly giggling mess. In an attempt to get help for Chase, and hide her mistakes, Jayne finds herself turning him over to the care of the Dark Fae. When Jayne goes looking for an update on poor Chase's condition, she herself gets taken hostage.

This third book in the War of the Fae series was by far the most action packed and surprising thus far. Jayne is one of the most compelling characters in modern fiction, equal parts rebellious teenager, warmhearted friend, and accident prone klutz.  I also must add the one thing that makes her absolutely hysterical to read about, her almost constant use of the F-word, with almost Tourette Syndrome like ejaculations of cuss words at the most unbelievable moments.

As with the two previous novels in the War of the Fae series, I found the writing to be nearly flawless. Casey's ability to describe some very unusual and unique circumstances in a way that makes them immediately accessible to the reader is nothing short of brilliant. The level of sexuality in these novels is very tame, hugs and kisses thrown in here and there, but nothing that any parent would have reason to be concerned about. The language, while colorful, especially where Jayne is concerned, only adds to her charm, and is not beyond a level that most teens would be exposed to in the presence of their peers.

Fired Up Rating: 5/5 Flames

Bottom Line:  You will not be disappointed for a moment by continuing to read on in the War of the Fae series, and both Young Adults and Adults alike will be chomping at the bit for more of this fantastic story. It really helps if you have read the first two books in the series, as it definitely helps to set up the world paradigm that Elle Casey has constructed for her characters to inhabit. This is a series you can be assured is worth reading over and over again, there is just so much to love about it.

Review: Call To Arms by Elle Casey

Purchase Price: $4.99 CDN on Amazon.ca
War of the Fae: Book 2 (Call To Arms) [Kindle Edition]

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fiction, Fantasy, Series, Epic, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Teen, Action Adventure

**This Review Contains Some Spoilers** 

I anxiously dove into this second book in the War of The Fae series, Call To Arms had a lot of 'splaining' to do after all of the cliff-hanging questions left in place after reading the first book in series by Elle Casey. Where The Changelings left off, Call To Arms picks up and runs with at a fantastic pace. We again find our protagonist Jayne, now adjusting to the world of the Light Fae, with more questions than answers, and as we know, Jayne is not the sort of girl to let that situation sit for very long.

Jayne is reunited with her new friends from The Changelings, now all trying to adjust to their new Fae realities. Chase seems to be taking it all in stride as Jayne's Daemon protector, he is the strong silent type after all. Becky, the ever perky, is now a Water Sprite. Finn is a natural Green Elf, a protector of the forest, and good with a bow and arrow. Spike, Jayne's perma-crush, would of course be a Incubus, with a smoldering passion at all times.  As they all learn what their new changeling identities entail, there are a lot of laughs and a lot of funny moments.

Jayne manages to make new friends as well, including some that most of the adult Fae in the compound can't even believe. Jayne has a really magnetic personality, and is so easy to love through all her faults. Yes she still cusses up a wee storm in this novel, but not as much as in the first. It is just part of who Jayne is, and her crass and straight from the hip honesty is what makes her so awesome as a lead character.

Jayne also manages to whammy a few of the other Fae with her growing powers, and still has very little idea what she is and will be capable of, she is such a rare Fae species. The times when Jayne uses her powers are really fascinating, as she begins to understand how dangerous she can be, and how seductive her connection with 'The Green' is.

But throughout the chapters, we see Jayne's biggest struggle is her fractured connection to her best friend from back home, Tony. When Tony chose to go home and not become Fae, Jayne was distraught but understanding, his life at home wasn't that bad, he liked what he had. The more she tries to reach out to Tony, the farther away he seems to get, and the sudden appearance of a new 'friend' that is changing everything about Tony is even more of concern. Tony is pulling away from Jayne, and praising this new friend just a little to much for comfort. Jayne's natural suspicion kicks into overdrive.

What happens next pushes Jayne into action. Jayne must act to save her friend Tony from being a pawn in a much bigger game. Can Jayne get through to Tony or is it too late?

The War of the Fae series just keeps getting better and better, the characters are more developed and Jayne is really coming into her power, literally and figuratively. Young adults will love this series, but so will anyone who loves fantasy books, and even though there is some swearing, there is no overt sexuality, so it is more than appropriate for teens of all ages.

Fired Up Rating: 5/5 Flames

Bottom Line: Another amazing story crafted by the very talented Elle Casey. If you have read the first in the series, "The Changelings", you will be equally delighted with this follow-up. It answers many of the questions asked in the first book, but poses many more. I have to say, I haven't found a book by Elle Casey that I didn't love, and this is one for your permanent library of favorites.

Review: The Changelings by Elle Casey

Purchase Price: $0.99 CDN on Amazon.ca
War of the Fae: Book 1 (The Changelings)[Kindle Edition]

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fiction, Fantasy, Series, Epic, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Teen, Action Adventure

**This Review Contains Some Small Spoilers** 

I had very high expectations when I started to read The Changelings by Elle Casey, and I am very happy to say that they were more then met, they were exceeded. In this first book in Elle Casey's War of the Fae Series, we meet some fantastic characters and watch as they embark on a fantastic and frightening journey.

Jayne Sparks is not like most people, at all, in the best possible way. She is bored with school, she is a social outcast, and she has a running dialogue with herself that borders on hysterical. Her colorful language [yes, there is lots of cussing in this book] is not merely added to make the character seem hip or cool, it is precisely what you would expect to hear from this feisty and unique teen. Jayne is a bit pushy, and has even commandeered a best friend in the form of sweet but socially inept Tony. Though she makes sure she isn't bullying him or making him feel bad, she gets her hooks into him, pronouncing him her best friend, and they eventually find that exact relationship.

Jayne comes from a rather fractured family, as so many kids do these days. Her parents are divorced, she is an only child living with her mother and her mother's latest boyfriend, and that is where the problem starts. Her mother's boyfriend places Jayne into the worst possible situation, and Tony, meek and geeky as he may be, tells Jayne she cannot go home, he will not let her. The two run away, with no clear destination, and no money, and that is the start of a a wild and twisting series of events that come to define Jayne's true destiny.

Fresh off the bus, quite literally, Jayne and Tony are taken in by a boy called Jared. Living in an abandoned warehouse with a group of other runaways, Jayne and Tony soon find themselves in need of money. When an opportunity to participate in a 'study' presents itself, along with a chance at a $500.00 paycheck, all the runaways decide to see if they can qualify as participants. But things are somehow never as easy as they seem. Jayne, suspicious by nature, is hyper-aware of the strange circumstances around her, and things quickly go from bad to worse for the group.

Jayne must use her keen intuition, her judgement of character, and her sense of right and wrong to guide her through an action packed journey that seems to get stranger by the second.

I found Jayne to be a really wonderful and funny protagonist, and so strong, even in the face of danger. Her loyalty to others makes her so much more than her tough exterior would indicate. You can't help but love this girl. I was literally laughing out loud at a lot of the dialogue, Elle Casey seems so in tune with exactly what teenagers are thinking and saying, they absolutely come to life off the pages. Typical to any Elle Casey novel, this one ends with a giant cliff hanger, so you had best have your next book in the series ready at hand, you will not be able to rest until you know what happens next.

This book is perfect for Young Adults, and in fact any Adult who enjoys some good, fast moving, and hilarious paranormal fiction - with a side of romantic crushes for good measure. The language may be more then some parents might approve of, Jayne freely admits that the F-word is her favorite, but it works with the character and the story, and I don't think that any child who has heard the language before will suddenly be corrupted just by reading it in this context, it is more humorous than offensive. I wouldn't hesitate to give this book to my 15 year old niece in a heartbeat, and she is not a potty mouthed kid, she just understands the difference between swearing for the sake of shock value, and swearing when you are in a crazy situation where you think you might not survive, there is a difference in my mind.

Fired Up Rating: 5/5 Flames

Bottom Line: Put this on your MUST READ list, and trust me when I say that you will fall in love with Jayne, her friends, this series of books, and especially with the writing of the very talented Elle Casey. She never fails to wow me with her wit, her rich characters, and her ability to find a way to leave you begging for more at the end of each chapter.