Devon Ashley's Blog, page 15

Quicksilver (Ultraviolet #2)
R.J. Anderson
Pub.: January 2013


Back in her hometown, Tori Beaugrand had everything a teenaged girl could want—popularity, money, beauty. But she also had a secret. A secret that could change her life in an instant, or destroy it.
Now she’s left everything from her old life behind, including her real name and Alison, the one friend who truly understood her. She can’t escape who and what she is. But if she wants to have anything like a normal life, she has to blend in and hide her unusual... talents.
Plans change when the enigmatic Sebastian Faraday reappears and gives Tori some bad news: she hasn’t escaped her past. In fact, she’s attracted new interest in the form of an obsessed ex-cop turned investigator for a genetics lab.
She has one last shot at getting her enemies off her trail and winning the security and independence she’s always longed for. But saving herself will take every ounce of Tori’s incredible electronics and engineering skills—and even then, she may need to sacrifice more than she could possibly imagine if she wants to be free. 
Tori Beaugrand is dead - at least in name's sake. Too much has happened since she returned from going missing. She claimed she was kidnapped and the police suspect her fellow alien Sebastian Faraday had something to do with it. And now a genetics laboratory has gotten hold of her DNA and know something is off about her, even going so far as to hire an ex-detective to chase her down for more samples. She and her family flee, knowing that she'd never see the light of day again if they caught up with her. Under her new identity, Tori finds it impossible not to flaunt her engineering talents, and it becomes necessary to mingle with electronics experts to build herself a complex piece of machinery that will hopefully shut down the alien contraption that could lead her enemies straight to her. But if it doesn't work properly, she'll actually be signaling them directly. And worst of all, she doesn't even know if she can truly trust the things Faraday does or say, and that could be her biggest downfall of all. It's a little unusual to switch points of view between books, but I have to say, this actually worked. I still preferred Alison's POV though, because her synesthesia and the way she saw and tasted the world made the story so unique. But that's not to say I didn't enjoy Tori, it's just her uniqueness didn't capture me with the same enthusiasm. Not surprisingly, with Tori's endless knowledge about all things engineering, I felt a little out of my league trying to figure out what she was talking about, but managed to keep up with it all well enough. Just don't ask me to repeat it or explain it to you! ;) Quicksilver was a complex, suspenseful read and anyone who liked Ultraviolet will enjoy bringing a close to their story (or at least what seems as a close).

ARC provided by Orchard Books for honest review.

Luminaire (Florence Waverley #2)
Ciye Cho
Pub: November 28, 2012

Being the only human in a world of merfolk... isn't easy. Florence Waverley chose to stay in Niemela, but things have gone awry. Secrets have risen and the prince she cares about has pulled away. All the while, dark dreams warn her of a tragedy that only she can stop. But in order to save the merman she loves, Florence will have to enter the Life Path tournament: a brutal test of fear and madness.
The tournament is a rite of passage--a maze where young mermaids and mermen battle to find their purpose. It is also a place where Florence will face grave danger: mermaids with evil magic, tunnels filled with sea fire, and guardians who wish to use her as a pawn in their secret plans. But will Florence be strong enough to survive the tournament... or will she perish inside it?
 Everything hangs in the balance: her life, her world, and her love.

 Training in the way of a mermaid isn't easy when you're merely human, but Florence shrugs off the constant disapproving glares from the community and the brush-offs from Rolan and moves forward in this new underworld life. But she has no idea what she's gotten herself into, because even if she can pass the initial test for her chosen life path, there's still the tournament to deal with, where either you come out...or you don't. And now that she's getting truth dreams that tell her Rolan and the children of Niemela will die if she doesn't go through and succeed, she has no choice but to push her way through the deadly maze. But the guardians are against her getting through, and the maze has been filled with new challenges that even the best of the mermaids can't get through, so how will she? I actually enjoyed Luminaire more than the first novel, Florence, mostly because of the tournament and the odd group of mermaids Florence joins with in order to better their chances of survival, including a bitter warrior who would love to see her fail. It kinda reminded me of the Hunger Games in Catching Fire, but an underwater version, so all the crazy/deadly obstacles kept my attention. If you haven't read the series, its uniqueness surely makes it worth the read. :)   ARC provided by author for honest review.  

Anniversary Countdown

So it's been almost two years since I began the Crazy Dream blog. Jeez-aloo! I've met so many awesome friends and authors since then, and read a ton of superfragalistic books I never would've found without beginning this journey. So THANK YOU!  What to do, what to do for my blogoversary... Duh! Giveaway, of course! So what are your prizes, you ask? How about SIGNED COPIES of all the novels down below, most coming from super cool New York Times / USA Today Best Sellers! Lucky You!      ONE SIGNED COPY of NEARLY BROKENby  Devon Ashley
[image error] We’d both gone missing at one point, but Claire had one thing I didn’t. Someone to notice. So why was I the one still here and she the one still gone?

Nineteen year old Megan Smith has spent the past year working in a small town diner in the middle of nowhere. Life is quiet, simple, safe. Then comes the news that her look-a-like has gone missing.

Claire.

Still damaged both physically and mentally, Megan's not looking to be noticed. Wherever she goes from here, it's a road she needs to take alone. But when Nickolas Ellis takes the job as the new nightshift cook, it scares her how easily her defenses crumble down, down, down. But there are secrets she can't bear to share with anyone, unspeakable acts that continue to haunt, and the urge to run before it happens again threatens the only happiness Megan's ever found.
  New Adult Contemporary Romance / Realistic Fiction
Recommended for 17+ for mature and disturbing situations, language and sexual content
        ONE SIGNED COPY of THE EDGE OF NEVER  by J.A. Redmerski Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett thought she knew exactly where her life was going. But after a wild night at the hottest club in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, she shocks everyone-including herself-when she decides to leave the only life she's ever known and set out on her own. Grabbing her purse and her cell phone, Camryn boards a Greyhound bus ready to find herself. Instead, she finds Andrew Parrish.

Sexy and exciting, Andrew lives life like there is no tomorrow. He persuades Camryn to do things she never thought she would and shows her how to give in to her deepest, most forbidden desires. Soon he becomes the center of her daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But there is more to Andrew than Camryn realizes. Will his secret push them inseparably together-or destroy them forever?
NOTE: Winning copy won't be sent out until closer to July release date.

Due to sexual content and language, this book is recommended for 17+ – Adult Contemporary Women’s – New Adult Fiction
     ONE SIGNED COPY of MUSIC OF THE HEART  by Katie Ashley For Abby Renard, the plan was supposed to be simple—join her brothers’ band on the last leg of their summer tour and decide if she’s finally ready for the limelight by becoming its fourth member. Of course, she never imagined stumbling onto the wrong tour bus at Rock Nation would accidentally land her in the bed of Jake Slater, the notorious womanizing lead singer of Runaway Train. When he mistakes her for one of his groupie’s, Abby quickly lets him know she sure as hell isn't in his bed on purpose.

Jake Slater never imagined the angel who fell into his bed would resist his charms by promptly kneeing him in the balls. Of course, the fact she seems like a prissy choir girl makes her anything but his type. So he is more than surprised when after betting Abby she wouldn’t last a week on their tour bus, she is more than willing to prove him wrong. But as Jake’s personal life begins to implode around him, he finds an unlikely ally in Abby. He’s never met a woman he can talk to, joke with, or most importantly make music with.

As the week starts comes to a close, neither Abby nor Jake is ready to let go. Can a sweetheart Country songstress and a bad boy of Rock N Roll actually have a future together? New Adult Erotic Romance   
ONE SIGNED COPY of TAKEN  by Kelli Maine ABDUCTION. You steal me away to a deserted island, to the one place I’ve dreamed of being—the one place I can’t go.
SEDUCTION. You’re used to buying whatever you want, but you can’t buy me...how do I resist the magnetism of your body, the longing ache deep inside me? I want you to take me—on my terms.

DESPERATION. Every attempt you make to love me only hurts me. How can we go on like this?

This is the story of how I was TAKEN.

Rachael DeSalvo cares for those she loves with no regard for what she needs from them in return. When her father dies, her mother’s emotional dependency becomes overbearing. Unable to leave her distressed mother, Rachael turns down her dream job with Rocha Enterprises.

Billionaire real estate mogul, Merrick Rocha, knows what motivates people and what buttons to push to get what he wants. When the perfect project manager candidate turns down his job offer, it drives him mad. Three months of watching Rachael from afar has him more determined than ever to have her—for much, much more than an employee.

Merrick takes what he wants, but can he convince Rachael to give him what he needs?
 Adult Erotic Romance     ONE SIGNED COPY of ROCK THE HEART  by Michelle A. Valentine For the last four years, good girl Lane has regretted breaking up with Noel Falcon. She thought she was sensible when she told him his dreams of being a rock star would get him nowhere, but now that he's a rock god and her career is stagnant, she realizes just how wrong she was. When Noel hires the marketing company where Lane is an intern, she’s forced to see him again. If she wants to land her dream job as executive within the company, she has to win him over and secure his account. Too bad Noel is still pissed at her for breaking his heart.

When Lane’s company flies her to a Black Falcon concert to gain Noel’s attention, emotions run high the moment she sees him and realizes she’s far from over him. But Noel’s countless trysts with groupies and his cocky attitude make Lane believe he isn’t the same guy she once loved—now he seems to only want her body. Then after Lane discloses she needs him to procure a job, Noel proves he’s a changed man by forcing her to go on the road with him in order to get it.
After Lane reluctantly takes Noel up on his offer, she becomes willing to do whatever it takes to keep him satisfied, even if it means succumbing to his seductive ways. Lane soon finds deception is a dangerous game and she’s not the only one playing. Adult Erotic Romance     a Rafflecopter giveaway

  APRIL'S GIVEAWAY The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself. To enter, visit the Previously Loved Book Giveaway page!

Uses For Boys
Erica Lorraine Scheidt
Pub. Date: January 15, 2013

Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, Uses for Boys is a story of breaking down and growing up.

***There are spoilers in this review, but as I would never recommend ANYONE reading this novel, it probably won't matter. Also, I'm a little mad right now, but I'm trying to draw back on the anger and inappropriate wordage and just be critical of substance.***First off, let me say that I'm a little late to the party in terms of reviewing this ARC. By the time I began this, I had noticed that Uses For Boys was averaging around three stars. First reaction - that's not good. I opted not to read any of the reviews so it wouldn't taint my opinion going in. Also, I knew this book weighed heavily on sex, and I know from personal experience, that when you have a YA novel with descriptive sex, you can offend a lot of people who will one star your @ss. So, I figured that was probably the main offender for low ratings.  And there was definitely a lot of sexual activity - the pages were practically oozing with it. Now, I realize there are tons of girls in the world in her position, who are abusing drugs and alcohol and having sex at a very young age, who end up dropping out of school and leaving home. In that aspect, Uses for Boys was raw and on the mark. But it wasn't these things that bothered me (although it probably should have, but it's an honest representation for this kind of life, so I let it slide). What really bugged me about this novel was the Anna's attitude about sex.  I'm sorry, but this girl truly is a slut with major mental issues, with no one to blame but herself.  Yes, I understand that your mother was desperate to keep a man, that she married and divorced several times and step-fathers and step-siblings came and went. But there was no history of abuse, other than her mother reaching the point to where she hardly came home anymore. Bad, I know, but it's not like this girl had her new family members abusing her sexually or anything. So when she was on the bus in middle school, it disturbed me that she allowed a boy to just grab her breast and play with it on the school bus. Then, when she didn't object, she allowed him to go up her shirt so he could molest her while he forced her hand between his legs to jerk him off - all while his friends leaned over the seat to watch. Seriously. This is middle school. And it happened more than once. NO. NO. HELL NO! And when he grew tired of her, SHE MISSED HIS ATTENTION, so she found a new boy to do it for her. Again. Middle school. And this new boy she took home everyday and had sex with. Awesome. Here's the part that really made me wanna smack the girl. Anna goes out to a party, gets drunk, and this post-high school guy spends the night pinching and twisting at her nipples. She doesn't want him to, but hey, it seems to be a normal occurrence for her, so the most she does is flick him off for doing it. So it's no wonder the guy finds her drunk @ss later to rape her. He pins her down and covers her mouth, and when he's done, casually asks her not to say anything to anyone. Okay, is her reaction. Then she spends a lot of time wondering why he never kissed her while doing it. ARE. YOU. F*CKING. MENTAL? WHO WANTS A RAPIST TO KISS THEM?!!! And why wouldn't you tell anyone?  Flash forward to a new guy she met, Anna decided that she was going to drop out of school and move in with him. They're both like fifteen or sixteen. Not only does her mother barely put up a fight, saying you're going to do what you want to do, but she even signs the form for her to drop out. Sure, her mom asks her every few months if she's ready to admit defeat and come back home, but it truly only bugs her when one of her own men find it awful that she's allowing her sixteen year old daughter to do it. But still, she doesn't force the minor's @ss home. Where is freaking CPS people? This kid gets her pregnant, and after the big A, she's ready to move on again.  I know, I know. What the hell kept me reading this story? I thought for sure something big was gonna happen that was going to make this girl see the light of day. That she'd learn some huge lesson to make the atrocities of her bad decision making more bearable. And when she met Sam, I thought, finally! A nice kid with a good family dynamic! Her salvation! But then she goes and does the same ol' shiz. After meeting Sam, he says he'll be gone for a week for Spring Break. So what does she do? She goes off to find a one night stand. Bitch. This sweet guy, who takes her home to have dinner with his family every night, adores her. He also happens to be a virgin and wants to wait. And yes, he knows that she's not a virgin, and he's okay with it. But Anna keeps pressuring the poor guy and he keeps asking her to slow down. They finally have sex; all the time of course, because she's got her own apartment now. But one day they decided to do the nasty at his place, get completely busted by his mom, who then asked her leave. His mother once told her she was strong and smart, so lying to them about not having sex when they were was a big let down. So what does our little Anna do now? She goes off to find a one night stand. <Gun to head - KAPOW!> SERIOUSLY! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!! I'm thinking this is it. Anna's gonna learn her lesson now. She's going to be brave and go back to the house with her head held high, admit to everyone her faults, that she wants a family like theirs, that she wants to be the kind of person that deserves to have them. And does she do it? HELL IF IF KNOW! All we get is her going to the door, the little sister saying how worried the mother was about her (yeah, right) and the next thing we know she and Sam are walking back to her apartment. END STORY. SERIOUSLY? I read all that crap about a mental patient, and we get nothing? No face to face with the parents or talking it out with Sam? Not even a few sentences telling us what happened that convinced the parents to even allow their son to walk off to her apartment?! NO, NO, NO! So in conclusion, this girl learned NOTHING in my opinion. She used boys for sex and to keep herself from being lonely. Had the author just given me that last scene where she proved that Anna was going to become something better than she was, I could've give this novel at least three stars. Now...I hate even giving it one. It disturbs me that much that this girl slutted around, got high, got drunk, and didn't change anything about herself moving forward. NO. NO. NO!

Oh, and about that lovely synopsis: Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. uh...no, actually, it doesn't. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. (only a doped up crack head would agree with either of those statements) Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, Uses for Boys is a story of breaking down and growing up. (she grew up in age, I'll give you that. And filling this novel with scenes that are shocking won't get this shipwreck to float).  
ARC provided my St. Martin's Press for honest review.

Hey DreamCatchers!

So I know it's been kinda slow around here at the Crazy Dream Blog since Falling Away went live on Valentine's Day. For the past three weeks, I've been pounding away at the laptop trying to get a novel out of my head and onto paper (okay, onto a blindingly bright screen). I was trying to get my head back into my Immortal Archives series to get Catacombs going again, but I wasn't feeling all that motivated. Then my gal pal JA Redmerski and I were talking about how her publishing company wanted her to write a follow-up to her awesome new book The Edge of Never. We'd both gone from writing supernatural and fantasy books to writing romance, and hey, turned out we both loved it, and totally amazed at how easily they came to us. So I'm sitting there bitching about how I'm lacking the inspiration right now to make Catacombs as awesome as I want it to be, and she basically said, "Screw it. Write another romance. Realistic fiction is hot right now. I bet you could have something on the market by summer." I did my, "Oh, God no, not another book. I've already pushed Dust and Falling Away ahead of Catacombs and readers are starting to ask WTF? I can't push it back again." So I go off to soak in the tub for a good long while, and by the time I come out, I have a realistic fiction novel flowing through my head that I'm so freakin' excited about that I just can't help myself. I buried myself behind the computer and had 5K (5,000 words) written before I crashed in bed. Thanks, Jessica (insert sarcasm). Actually, I probably should thank her 'cause this has gotten me out of that writing funk and the words are just flowing out of me. Now it's three weeks later and I already have 50K ready to go and I seriously believe I can have the first draft of Nearly Broken ready by April 1st (no joke here!).  So here's my new timeline: Nearly Broken will definitely be ready for a summer release. I'm keeping that time block so my critique writers have all the time they need to filet it if necessary (hopefully not) and get in lots of editing. I'm also planning to throw it on NetGalley for reviews and I want to make sure readers have plenty of time to get to it as well. So...summer release. I'll announce an actual date once I see what my critique buddies say. I believe it's my best romance to date, but I won't lie. Nearly Broken is for mature audiences only, as there are some pretty dark and disturbing situations that not everyone will feel comfortable reading. So take heed if you like your love stories to be nothing but sunshine and lollypops - this ain't that kind of love story.  Catacombs I'm still hoping to get out by late summer. I'm going to tackle it as soon as my draft of Nearly Broken is ready to share. I think I'll have my romance bone sated enough to finally get my focus going. And there will be some romance in Catacombs as Emily and Gaius are finally able to get to know each other, so YAY! It just bums me out that I've made these clean urban fantasy novels in respect to sex, so it won't be nearly as descriptive as my romance novels.  And finally Stardust . This is the follow-up to Dust, the first novel in the Of Dust and Darkness trilogy. I've been getting asked about this one the most. I still plan to release before the end of the year, but it'll most likely be a December release. With two books needing publishing first, it's on the back burner. But don't worry, that story's been marinating in my head, and when I sit down to really focus on it, it's gonna come out fast and easy. I do have a cover ready to go, but don't plan to do a reveal until later this year. So no, you're not going to find this on GoodReads yet either. The story could always change as I'm writing it, so I don't want to throw out a synopsis for it too early. And lastly, if you've tried checking out what's going on over at Dark Horse Indie lately, you've probably noticed it's not there. That's a blog I share with fellow Indie writers JA Redmerski, Rebecca A Rogers and Constance Sharper. We sorta pulled the reins (yeah, pun intended) on that for now. We've all been extremely busy as of late and we don't see our schedules clearing up any time soon, so since no one can truly focus on that blog, it's currently off the web. So sorry guys. You can still check out their personal blogs using the buttons on the left side of my page. Alright, I've spent enough time writing this post. Time to get back to writing my novel! Cheers!

Oh, and by the way, I'm the author of the month over at Books Complete Me. They'll be spotlighting my novels every Sunday and each of my published novels are up for grabs internationally. Head over if you want a chance to win! See all my books on GoodReads. 

Coming Late Spring / Early Summer 2013    We’d both gone missing at one point, but Claire had one thing I didn’t. Someone to notice. So why was I the one still here and she the one still gone?
Twenty year old Megan Smith has spent the past year working in a small town diner in the middle of nowhere. Life is quiet, simple, safe. Then comes the news that her look-a-like has gone missing. Claire.

Still damaged both physically and mentally, Megan’s not looking to be noticed. Wherever she goes from here, it’s a road she wants to take alone. But when Nickolas Ellis takes the job as the new nightshift cook, her defenses begin to crumble as he slowly chips away at her barriers. But there are secrets Megan can’t bear to share with anyone, unspeakable acts that continue to haunt, and the urge to run before it happens again threatens the only happiness she’s ever found.

New Adult Contemporary Romance / Realistic Fiction
Recommended for 17+ for language and sexual content.

Yep, today's the day! Valentine's Day! And Falling Away is finally here!
"I remember," he said softly. "I remember everything. You. Me. Us."
Jenna’s first two years of community college are almost over and it’s time to decide where to finish her degree. Should she attend Yale to be with Robert, or off to Rutgers, where she really wants to go? As Sophie and Jhett’s engagement is announced, she begins to question if she'll live happily ever after too. Right on cue with her doubts, a familiar boy pops up in her dreams again. But Evan's entrance is as abrupt as his exit, and Jenna’s left worrying about his safety. Concern and curiosity get the best of her and checking up on him puts her within arm’s reach of a man who still adores her, and one unexpected act of indiscretion will turn her world upside down and inside out.
Paperbacks available on Amazon US, UK, DE, FR, IT, and ES, and my E-store.
eBooks available on Kindle US, UK, DE, FR, IT, ES, CA, BR, and JP, and Nook

Wanna see who I'd cast? Go to the Official Book Page!

A Bite's Tale: A Furry Fable
Veronica Blade
Pub.: January 7, 2012

A Cinderella who spends her nights as a wolf. A prince with a taste for blood.

Seventeen year old Cydney struggles against her werewolf nature, trying to keep everyone around her safe. No way will she risk exposing the beast at the prince’s ball, no matter how her two cousins try to persuade her. Even as she attempts to get on with her life, Cydney can’t forget the boy she loved three summers ago — or what she did to him after losing control.

Turned into a vampire to save his life, the prince refuses to live up to his royal duties. He just wants to find the girl he loved and lost...the werewolf girl who bit him. But his father, the king, commands him to attend a ball where he must choose a wife. Can he find his Cinderella before he's forced to marry another? He doesn’t even have her real name, much less a glass slipper.
Cydney spent every summer visiting a little island that was home to supernatural creatures who managed to live in harmony, ruled by a king. For three summers, she met a guy in the forest. Neither revealed their names, nor their true nature, so they went by the names Cinderella and Jack. As the summers passed by, their affection for another grew, and when they finally kissed, the wolf inside Cydney came out, biting poor Jack. She fled in panic, and when she managed to find the courage to return, he was gone, and her mother swept her off the island, never to return.
At least not until her mother died, and Cydney was sent to live with her aunt on the island again. Now somewhat of a recluse, she spends her time hiding from others, afraid she'll lose control and kill another person, so she locks herself away in the basement each night. But little does she know, Jack was saved by another supernatural creature that day, and continues to live within the castle as the prince, constantly thinking of the red-headed girl he loved. And when his father declares he must take a bride, Jack desperately seeks out his Cinderella. But how can he find what doesn't want to be found? This was a darling supernatural novella, and I was kinda bummed it didn't go a little longer. I'm also kicking myself for putting it off so long, as its been on my kindle for a year now. If you're a fan of supernatural retellings, pick this up!
 Copy provided by author for honest review.

Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem
Melissa Lemon
Pub.: December 11, 2012

Stuck in her family's apple orchards, Kat's got plenty of work to do and only pesky Jeremy to help. But when Jeremy convinces her to run away, Kat will discover that nothing---and no one---in her life is quite what it seems. Wonderfully reimagined, this is the magical tale of Snow White as you've never read it before!
Kat Whyte doesn't know why her uncle keeps her hidden away at the orchard, never allowing her to leave, for no other reason other than he deemed it wasn't safe. She always minded his wishes, but until he went blind and hired Jeremy to help her keep the orchard going, no one ever knew she lived through an attack at infancy. Besides a magical mirror, that is.
Now in her teens, Kat's uncle has become aggressive and unpleasant, and at Jeremy's beseechment, she leaves with what money he can gather, professing his love and promising to come find her later. But she doesn't follow his instructions, and ends up befriending and staying with a group of dwarves. Meanwhile, the Queen of Mayhem learns her daughter never died like she thought, and sends a young man named Iven to kill her. But little does she know, Iven has his own plans in mind for the young princess of Mayhem, who seems to turn the shade of snow in his presence. Eventually, everyone's sight is set on young Snow Whyte, and when their paths all collide, the outcome will be deadly.  I loved reading Ms. Lemon's retelling of Cinderella in Cinder and Ella, so I was giddy with excitement waiting on the Snow Whyte installment. Once again, the story had a few twists and surprises behind its flap jacket, yet still held onto the roots of the fairytale I grew up reading. I felt there could've been a little more in the way of subplots, but Kat was sweet and pretty, so it was easy to see why she was easily liked by all, including me. Well, everyone except her wicked mother, of course, who couldn't stand that Kat received more affection from the King of Mayhem at infancy. I won't get to much into the story, 'cause I'd rather you discover this new world for yourself. But I will say, that while it was creative to have the story narrated through the magical mirror's point of view, it didn't really work for me. Yes, we got to see what was happening with the main characters as they were going about their business in the neighboring kingdoms, but I felt a disconnect with each of them. Particularly Kat and Jeremy, who I truly wanted to know better. So many times the mirror felt frustrated because he didn't have access to their inner monologues, and I too felt that way! I was a fly on the wall, but I still wasn't getting the scene before me in its entirety. I guess I just prefer my narrator to be omniscient in terms of the characters. Also, I felt that Snow Whyte took a back seat in this novel. It seemed to be more about what the people around her (the Queen of Mayhem, Jeremy and Iven) were doing in relation to her. Snow Whyte was just going about life, and the only time I felt like I was truly getting her was when she was living and interacting with the dwarves. That's not to say this story wasn't enjoyabe to read, because it was. But personally, I wished it focused more on having Snow Whyte choosing the road before her, rather than letting the other characters influence her decisions in life. You know what I mean? Still enjoyable and worth picking up though.   ARC provided by publisher for honest review.