Book Review: Doll Bones

Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing . . . and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. Poppy swears that she is now being haunted by a china doll – who claims that it is made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl. They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity . . .

I snagged a copy of Doll Bones by Holly Black the day it hit shelves. I'm a huge fan and have read most everything she's published. The Spiderwick Chronicles and beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles were both fabulous series, and so I was excited to read this new middle grade.

Doll Bones is one of my favorite books of 2013. It's fun and adventurous, but also sad and touching. Zach, Poppy, and Alice are all kids on the brink of becoming teens. Soon they'll be too old for their games, running around playing with dolls and action figures, creating these stories with their toys. When Zach's father declares he's too old to play, and tosses his toys out in the garbage, it sets him and his friends on a path to give up their game.

But they have one more adventure before they finish. One of Poppy's dolls, the queen, is a china doll. Poppy claims a ghost comes to her in her sleep and says that her bones are used to create the china of the dolls bones. The ghost vows not to leave her alone until the doll finds it's way to her parents' graves. So Poppy, Alice, and Zach agree to get her there.

This novel is creative and funny and creepy and very entertaining. By then end of the book, these three friends are more grown and on their way to adulthood. It made me think of the games I used to play and how much I miss that carefree time. Being an adult can be so boring. So thank the goddess for books like these.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. Even if middle grade fiction isn't your thing, I think you'll like this one. And if you need a bigger selling point, it had a very similar vibe to Neil Gaiman's, Coraline.

Book Review: Shift

Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.

Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.

As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.

I read Shadeby Jeri Smith-Ready at the end of last year, and I held off on Shiftuntil closer to the Shinerelease. I liked Shade a lot, but I liked Shift even more!

Shift picked up right where Shade left off. Logan died and turned shade in front of so many people who had come to watch his send off into the light. And after he turned shade, he disappeared. His girlfriend, Aura, is waiting for him to return, hoping to help him turn back into a ghost.

Aura is the first. The first child born with the gift of seeing ghosts. Zachary is the last. The last child born before Aura. Ghosts flock to Aura while Zachary scares them away. And the two of them are investigating the "shift". Why did it happen? How did it happen? Meanwhile, others are investigating it as well, and it means that Aura and Zachary aren't necessarily safe.

I love the romance between Aura and Zachary. I'm not much of a Logan fan. He is the "bad boy" in the (semi) triangle. I understand that he loves Aura and wants to be with her, but sometimes I find him just plain selfish. He died. He's a ghost. How can he expect Aura to want to be with him? So I completely get Zachary's frustration. And Zachary is simply swoon-worthy with his kilt and his accent. So I sometimes find myself frustrated by Aura. How can she not be all about Zachary? Jeri's writing is fantastic. She sucks you in early and keeps you interested. Story-wise... as much as I loved this book, there were a few aspects that bothered me. I actually had to remind myself that this is a paranormal book, and anything can happen. Even if it doesn't follow the conventional paranormal rules. Despite the parts that bugged me, I really enjoyed this book. I'm very excited to pick up Shine soon.

Book Review: Shade

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready sat on my shelf - signed - for over a year. I had met Jeri a few times, and as another signing came up, I decided I had to read something of hers before then. So... I finally picked up Shade.

I realized as I started it, I hadn't even read the synopsis. I knew it was about ghosts and teens who can see them. But the bit about our main character losing her boyfriend, Logan, surprised me. Yeah, clearly I hadn't read the synopsis. But one thing that shows me is how much I value the opinions of my friends that read and book bloggers. I had picked it up, solely based on hearing others say how good it was.

And I have to agree. It was good. Well... amazing probably fits better. I loved it. I didn't want to put it down. The world Jeri's created, a world where the "shift" has made it so that everyone born after it can see ghosts is complex and interesting. Aura was the first born post-shift, so she can ghosts. In the dark, they shine violet. In the sun, their glow hides them. This is the first time I've ever read a book in which ghosts had rules.

I'm very excited to read book two in the series, Shift. But I'm going to wait a bit closer to the release of book three, Shine, so there is less wait. In the meantime, I'll be checking out Jeri Smith-Ready's other series.

Book Review: No Humans Involved

Meet the smart, sexy — supernatural — women of the otherworld.

It's the most anticipated reality television event of the season: three spiritualists gathered together in one house to raise the ghost of Marilyn Monroe. For celebrity medium Jaime Vegas, it's her best shot at the celebrity holy grail: a TV show of her own. Because, unlike her colleagues, who are more style than substance, Jaime is the real thing.

Yet reluctant to upstage her fellow spiritualists, Jaime suppresses her talents, as she has always done. But something is lurking in the gardens behind the house: trapped spirits without a voice. And for the first time, Jaime understands what it means to be haunted. When events culminate in a psychic showdown, she must use her darkest power to defeat a shocking enemy-- one whose force comes from the last ream she expected.

No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong is book seven in The Women of the Otherworld series. I have to admit I was not looking forward to this book. Years before it was written I had read that Kelley was hoping to have Cassandra narrate seven. But Jaime got it. I loved Cass and hated Jaime. So, yeah... I was not looking forward to it. But it was written by the amazing Kelley Armstrong so I picked it up anyway. Jaime is the fourth narrator for this series, and each time we got a new one I had trouble getting into the book. But I had no trouble with this one.

Jaime O'Casey is a necromancer. She can speak to ghosts and raise and control zombies. She carries around a designer make-up bag... filled with hair, fingernails, teeth, cloth taken from a corpse, and even a finger or other small body part... which must be fresh. Ew, right? 

She's not just a necromancer; Jaime Vegas is a celebrity. Hence the name Vegas. She's a spiritualist. She contacts the dead to give their relatives peace of mind. Except that she's a con, like all the others. The messages real ghosts want to pass on won't sell tickets.

She's in California to film a television special in which three spiritualists are supposed to contact the ghost of Marilyn Monroe. Slightly inebriated she had invited her crush, smexy werewolf alpha, Jeremy Danvers, to join her. In the garden at the mansion where the spiritualists are staying, Jaime finds something she’s encountered only once before. Ghosts who she can’t see or hear, but who can touch her. With Jeremy’s help, Jaime’s going to solve the mystery of the trapped ghosts and set them free.

In previous novels, Jaime has basically been the comic relief. She's been kidnapped, possessed, and psychically attacked. She's clumsy and inarticulate when Jeremy's around, showing her to be a fool. She's flaky. The only thing I liked about her was that she always had the best lines. But here, where we get to read through her eyes, we find that there is much more to her.

We get to see what her life is really like. How hard it was growing up and learning to deal with ghosts. And, suddenly, she's not flaky. She's not a fool. She's strong, smart, caring... 

This book changed my opinion, a compete 180, on what I thought of her. She was my least favorite, and then she became my favorite character with this novel. The Women of the Otherworld is my favorite series. And No Humans Involved is my favorite book. I've read it over a dozen times. There is nothing I can say to express just how much I love it.

“I saw my true power. The darkest power. The greatest power.” 

Pick up this series, you won’t be disappointed.