TOP TEN USES FOR AN UNWORN PROM DRESS
TINA FERRARO
YA Contemporary
Delacorte Press
Trade paperback
ISBN-10: 978-0-385-73368-7
$13.99
Rating: 4 Enchantments
Nicolette ‘Nic’ Antonovich was dumped two days before the prom. But to her, that’s all in the past, except for the fact that her unworn prom dress hangs behind her bedroom door and she might still, on occasion, slip it on. It is the perfect prom dress after all.
But things are starting to change. Rascal, who was the dumper to her dumpee, is suddenly starting to pay her an awful lot of attention. Her best friend doesn’t want to hear another word about Rascal, let alone that Nic might be starting to fall for him all over again. Jared, her best friend’s brother, is turning weird big brother on her. And even weirder, it almost looks like Rascal and Jared are fighting - over her!
Nic’s a great character, a typical teenage girl who finds herself caught between two guys, her dream guy in Rascal and her friend Jared, whose behavior she just can’t figure out lately. This book was a definite page turner, with several great scenes that stick in your mind once you close the cover.
TOP TEN USES FOR AN UNWORN PROM DRESS is Tina Ferraro’s first young adult novel.
Reviewed by Lisa
YA Director
Enchanting Reviews
Monday, December 31, 2007
Enchanting Review: The Boys Next Door
THE BOYS NEXT DOOR
JENNIFER ECHOLS
Simon Pulse
YA Romantic Comedy
Paperback
$6.99
ISBN-10: 1-4169-1831-0
Rating: 3.5 Enchantments
Lori loves summertime. She spends her summers wakeboarding, swimming and working at the marina with the Vader brothers next door.
But this summer’s going to be different. For one, Lori’s going to turn sixteen and she’s determined to go from tomboy to girlfriend - Sean Vader’s girlfriend to be precise. All she needs is a little make over and she’s convinced he’ll be hers.
Step one in the makeover seems to work. Sean spends the boat ride flirting with her but when she sees him kissing his brother’s girlfriend, she realizes her plan might need a little tweaking. And what better way to get his attention then to make him jealous?
And no better candidate than his younger brother and her best friend, Adam.
Sure, Adam looks just like Sean. But his eyes are just a little lighter. And the only way at times she can tell them apart is the skull and crossbones chain Adam wears that she gave him years ago. So pretending to be in love with Adam should be easy, just pretend he’s Sean. Except Lori doesn’t expect the fake relationship to feel so real. The fake date seems real enough to her. And so do the kisses.
Lori’s antics will make you laugh and watching her realize Adam’s feelings for her are more real than she wants to admit keeps the reader turning pages. THE BOYS NEXT DOOR is an entertaining read by Ms.Echols.
Lisa
YA Director
Enchanting Reviews
JENNIFER ECHOLS
Simon Pulse
YA Romantic Comedy
Paperback
$6.99
ISBN-10: 1-4169-1831-0
Rating: 3.5 Enchantments
Lori loves summertime. She spends her summers wakeboarding, swimming and working at the marina with the Vader brothers next door.
But this summer’s going to be different. For one, Lori’s going to turn sixteen and she’s determined to go from tomboy to girlfriend - Sean Vader’s girlfriend to be precise. All she needs is a little make over and she’s convinced he’ll be hers.
Step one in the makeover seems to work. Sean spends the boat ride flirting with her but when she sees him kissing his brother’s girlfriend, she realizes her plan might need a little tweaking. And what better way to get his attention then to make him jealous?
And no better candidate than his younger brother and her best friend, Adam.
Sure, Adam looks just like Sean. But his eyes are just a little lighter. And the only way at times she can tell them apart is the skull and crossbones chain Adam wears that she gave him years ago. So pretending to be in love with Adam should be easy, just pretend he’s Sean. Except Lori doesn’t expect the fake relationship to feel so real. The fake date seems real enough to her. And so do the kisses.
Lori’s antics will make you laugh and watching her realize Adam’s feelings for her are more real than she wants to admit keeps the reader turning pages. THE BOYS NEXT DOOR is an entertaining read by Ms.Echols.
Lisa
YA Director
Enchanting Reviews
Enchanting Review: The Silver Moon Elm
THE SILVER MOON ELM – A JENNIFER SCALES NOVEL
MARYJANICE DAVIDSON & ANTHONY ALONGI
Berkley
Paranormal
ISBN:978-0-425-21526-5
Paperback
$9.99
Rating: 4 enchantments
Meet Jennifer Scales, weredragon, beaststalker, and Ancient Furnace. And all at the tender age of fifteen too! Without a license.
In her quest to relieve her burden of keeping secrets from her friends, Jennifer takes them with her when she goes to Crescent Valley, meeting place for the dragons.
While Jennifer discovers a new power as the Ancient Furnace – calling a nest of Fire Bees to her – she quickly learns that there is way more to her parent’s history with the clan of dragons than she ever thought.
When her best friend/ex-boyfriend, Skip, lures her out with ice cream and lets her fall
asleep in the park, Jennifer is boggled and very angry when she wakes up to a world that is very different from her own – one where her parents no longer exist, and where werachnids rule the town!
In her quest to turn her world to rights, Jennifer meets one of the pure dragons, and sees a different side to the people she thought she knew. Even the person she knows as her
mother is incredibly different! In all of this, the one surprising constant is the silver moon elm that brought her parents together, and will now help her bring her world back.
Ms. Davidson and Mr. Alongi bring together a tale full of the emotions and realities of teen life. The insecurities and jealousies, along with love and its strength, make this book pop! I can truly identify with some of what’s been written here, from my own teen years, and even now in my early twenties. I dunno about you, but I would go to the same lengths that Jennifer did to have my loved ones back!
Awesome book! I can’t wait to read more of this series!
One or two colorful words, however, make this more appropriate for the teen reader,
probably fourteen and up.
Cimorene
Enchanting Reviews
2007
MARYJANICE DAVIDSON & ANTHONY ALONGI
Berkley
Paranormal
ISBN:978-0-425-21526-5
Paperback
$9.99
Rating: 4 enchantments
Meet Jennifer Scales, weredragon, beaststalker, and Ancient Furnace. And all at the tender age of fifteen too! Without a license.
In her quest to relieve her burden of keeping secrets from her friends, Jennifer takes them with her when she goes to Crescent Valley, meeting place for the dragons.
While Jennifer discovers a new power as the Ancient Furnace – calling a nest of Fire Bees to her – she quickly learns that there is way more to her parent’s history with the clan of dragons than she ever thought.
When her best friend/ex-boyfriend, Skip, lures her out with ice cream and lets her fall
asleep in the park, Jennifer is boggled and very angry when she wakes up to a world that is very different from her own – one where her parents no longer exist, and where werachnids rule the town!
In her quest to turn her world to rights, Jennifer meets one of the pure dragons, and sees a different side to the people she thought she knew. Even the person she knows as her
mother is incredibly different! In all of this, the one surprising constant is the silver moon elm that brought her parents together, and will now help her bring her world back.
Ms. Davidson and Mr. Alongi bring together a tale full of the emotions and realities of teen life. The insecurities and jealousies, along with love and its strength, make this book pop! I can truly identify with some of what’s been written here, from my own teen years, and even now in my early twenties. I dunno about you, but I would go to the same lengths that Jennifer did to have my loved ones back!
Awesome book! I can’t wait to read more of this series!
One or two colorful words, however, make this more appropriate for the teen reader,
probably fourteen and up.
Cimorene
Enchanting Reviews
2007
Enchanting Review: Return To Zandria
RETURN TO ZANDRIA
CHRISTINE NORRIS
Young adult fantasy
LBF Books
E-book/Print 14.95
ISBN 1-885093-51-9
ISBN 1-897370-17-2
Rating: 5 Enchantments
Ivy's a young girl on the brink of becoming a young woman, who has forgotten her dreams, her fantasies, to live in the real world. Until one day her fantasy comes back to her and she will not let it go this time.
Connor, who I think, has the possibility of being the hero of this tale. A young man just a little older than Ivy, but in responsibility, years older. He lives in a world that Ivy had forgotten but he and his friends will make sure she never forgets again.
This is a great tale of the adventure of a young girl learning about true friendship and the lengths you will go to help save your friends, who just happen to come from another world, a world of dragons, fairies, unicorns and of course, the evil ones who will stop at nothing to stop the young friends from finding what has been stolen.
I liked this book because it brought me back to the kind of book I read as a young girl. And I still read them. It has all my favorites - Unicorns, Dragons, good vs. evil. and heroines and heroes with the courage to do what it takes to rescue a friend and defeat the evil one. This is one I will be buying for my 14 yr old daughter.
I do not know much about the author except she writes a great story and I hope she will enchant us with more of Ivy's adventures.
Melanie
Enchanting Reviews
2007
CHRISTINE NORRIS
Young adult fantasy
LBF Books
E-book/Print 14.95
ISBN 1-885093-51-9
ISBN 1-897370-17-2
Rating: 5 Enchantments
Ivy's a young girl on the brink of becoming a young woman, who has forgotten her dreams, her fantasies, to live in the real world. Until one day her fantasy comes back to her and she will not let it go this time.
Connor, who I think, has the possibility of being the hero of this tale. A young man just a little older than Ivy, but in responsibility, years older. He lives in a world that Ivy had forgotten but he and his friends will make sure she never forgets again.
This is a great tale of the adventure of a young girl learning about true friendship and the lengths you will go to help save your friends, who just happen to come from another world, a world of dragons, fairies, unicorns and of course, the evil ones who will stop at nothing to stop the young friends from finding what has been stolen.
I liked this book because it brought me back to the kind of book I read as a young girl. And I still read them. It has all my favorites - Unicorns, Dragons, good vs. evil. and heroines and heroes with the courage to do what it takes to rescue a friend and defeat the evil one. This is one I will be buying for my 14 yr old daughter.
I do not know much about the author except she writes a great story and I hope she will enchant us with more of Ivy's adventures.
Melanie
Enchanting Reviews
2007
Enchanting Review: The Dark Warriors
THE DARK WARRIORS
SFX FANTASY
LuLu
ISBN: 978-1-4303-0957-4
eBook
fantasy, young adult, paranormal romance
Price: N/A
Rating: 4 Enchantments
Welcome to the SXF Fantasy series; this is the third book. It starts up where it left off with Jake
and Sarah, his flying companion. These two elite warriors battle the shadow beasts ravaging
and destroying their lands.
Jake has trouble with his fuzzy memories, but Sarah is able to unburden Jake’s mind and open
him up with her love. With the help of their friends Helen, Bob and Torin, these warriors stand
up and battle the monsters in the dark.
This book is wonderfully written. The intense plot will keep you turning the pages and wanting
more. The epilogue “Nine Years” is an added teaser about Jake and Sarah. THE DARK
WARRIORS is a gripping tale that will lead its reader gasping for more. If you have not read
the first two books, I recommend starting with WARRIOR GIRL and LOST IN ANOTHER
REALM. You won’t want to leave this series off your reading list.
Raven
Enchanting Reviews
SFX FANTASY
LuLu
ISBN: 978-1-4303-0957-4
eBook
fantasy, young adult, paranormal romance
Price: N/A
Rating: 4 Enchantments
Welcome to the SXF Fantasy series; this is the third book. It starts up where it left off with Jake
and Sarah, his flying companion. These two elite warriors battle the shadow beasts ravaging
and destroying their lands.
Jake has trouble with his fuzzy memories, but Sarah is able to unburden Jake’s mind and open
him up with her love. With the help of their friends Helen, Bob and Torin, these warriors stand
up and battle the monsters in the dark.
This book is wonderfully written. The intense plot will keep you turning the pages and wanting
more. The epilogue “Nine Years” is an added teaser about Jake and Sarah. THE DARK
WARRIORS is a gripping tale that will lead its reader gasping for more. If you have not read
the first two books, I recommend starting with WARRIOR GIRL and LOST IN ANOTHER
REALM. You won’t want to leave this series off your reading list.
Raven
Enchanting Reviews
Enchanting Review: Lost In Another Realm
LOST IN ANOTHER REALM
SFX FANTASY
Lulu
ISBN# 1847283004
eBook
Fantasy, young adult, paranormal romance
$6.35 e-book Download
Rating: 3 Enchantments
Jake and Sarah are back! Sort of. Sarah’s been snatched away to another realm by a Bara’ad, a creature resembling black jelly, whose tentacle-touch can paralyze. Jake hears her telepathic cry for help and follows her in. Only then does he realize that their powers are gone.
Jake sees the Bara’ad making off with his lady love and chases after them. When Jake attacks, he casts around for a weapon and spies an unexpected one! A fruit known as a fire melon. When a rock covered in the juice of the fire melon hits the creature, it fades away, leaving Sarah behind in one piece.
As Jake and Sarah help themselves to the warm fruit to keep up their strength and repelthe Bara’ad, Jake tells Sarah he’s been to this realm before but retained his powers. Something new has taken them away.
After a run-in with a sea-serpent, the couple takes shelter in a nearby cave for the night. The next morning, after feasting on roasted fowl and fashioning themselves some arrows, the couple is attacked by Spidr’ac. To get away, Jake lassoes a flying horse, and lifts himself and Sarah out of the clutches of the horrible beasts. The horse wings the couple out over a mountain range dividing the real in two. On the other side of the range, Dark Beasts are working hard and preparing for battle. Jake figures that the Dark Beasts are
there to test the very device that is suppressing the Warriors powers.
This very suppression device is taken to the realm where the Warriors reside, and battle rages through out the world. People are infected and become Dark Creatures. Warriors fall prey to tricks and cruelty and die. One of the Warriors has been swayed, through his greed and jealousy, to turn on his comrades and plant the power-suppression device under their very noses!
In this sequel to WARRIOR GIRL, Ms. Yong brings us a world even more exciting than the last. The fire melons – both a weapon and a food – sound positively yummy. And Jake and Sarah seem even more in love than before, if that’s possible!
Again, I have to give Ms. Yong a hand. Her imagination is truly astounding. Each new world is more fantastic and mind boggling than the next.
Cimorene
Enchanting Reviews
SFX FANTASY
Lulu
ISBN# 1847283004
eBook
Fantasy, young adult, paranormal romance
$6.35 e-book Download
Rating: 3 Enchantments
Jake and Sarah are back! Sort of. Sarah’s been snatched away to another realm by a Bara’ad, a creature resembling black jelly, whose tentacle-touch can paralyze. Jake hears her telepathic cry for help and follows her in. Only then does he realize that their powers are gone.
Jake sees the Bara’ad making off with his lady love and chases after them. When Jake attacks, he casts around for a weapon and spies an unexpected one! A fruit known as a fire melon. When a rock covered in the juice of the fire melon hits the creature, it fades away, leaving Sarah behind in one piece.
As Jake and Sarah help themselves to the warm fruit to keep up their strength and repelthe Bara’ad, Jake tells Sarah he’s been to this realm before but retained his powers. Something new has taken them away.
After a run-in with a sea-serpent, the couple takes shelter in a nearby cave for the night. The next morning, after feasting on roasted fowl and fashioning themselves some arrows, the couple is attacked by Spidr’ac. To get away, Jake lassoes a flying horse, and lifts himself and Sarah out of the clutches of the horrible beasts. The horse wings the couple out over a mountain range dividing the real in two. On the other side of the range, Dark Beasts are working hard and preparing for battle. Jake figures that the Dark Beasts are
there to test the very device that is suppressing the Warriors powers.
This very suppression device is taken to the realm where the Warriors reside, and battle rages through out the world. People are infected and become Dark Creatures. Warriors fall prey to tricks and cruelty and die. One of the Warriors has been swayed, through his greed and jealousy, to turn on his comrades and plant the power-suppression device under their very noses!
In this sequel to WARRIOR GIRL, Ms. Yong brings us a world even more exciting than the last. The fire melons – both a weapon and a food – sound positively yummy. And Jake and Sarah seem even more in love than before, if that’s possible!
Again, I have to give Ms. Yong a hand. Her imagination is truly astounding. Each new world is more fantastic and mind boggling than the next.
Cimorene
Enchanting Reviews
Enchanting Review: Warrior Girl
WARRIOR GIRL
SFX Fantasy
Lulu
ISBN# 1847286542
eBook
fantasy, young adult, paranormal romance
$6.09 ebook download
Rating: 3 Enchantments
In the beginning, our young heroine, Sarah, escapes the vicious Ven'eelg - a creature with the upper body of a human, and the tail of a serpent - by flying, something she never knew she could do. In her attempt to distance herself from the Ven'eelg, Sarah encounters dragons, Spidr’ ac - the spider version of a centaur, Bate'evon - vampires with bat form, and finally, Jake.
Jake is an elite warrior, one of the legendary flying men who fight evil beings like the Ven’eelg and the dragons. Due to circumstances, Jake has an excess of power, which he shares with those strong enough to become warriors. Jake informs Sarah that he’d been watching her and shared some of his power with her to help her get away.
Jake and Sarah come to an agreement, whereby he teaches her how to become a stealth warrior. A problem arises when Sarah’s appearance as a warrior sends Jake running to his co-chief, Torin, asking him to find someone else to train Sarah because he’s too attracted to her.
Torin performs a mind probe on Sarah and discovers that she should be trained as an elite warrior, not stealth. He informs Jake that he is to speed up Sarah’s training. While the energy crackles and fizzles between Jake and Sarah, they manage to continue her training, and even go out on assignment to enemy territory. Very soon they find out that a she-serpent named Ley’dya is on Jake’s trail and after the excess of power he holds.
Before long, a host of dragons, Ven’eelg, Spidr’ac, and Bate’evon are gathered to make war on the Warriors and those they protect.
To save those he loves, Jake lets his power consume him as he unleashes it to destroy the enemy. To save the man she loves, Sarah absorbs as much of that power as she can through a very tender, steamy, setting-fire-to-equipment kiss that can only leave us mere mortals jealous and in awe.
I have to give Ms. Yong props here. Her story is very creative. I truly cannot think of one single book I have ever read that has included anything even remotely close to the Spidr’ac in WARRIOR GIRL.
I’m also very much in like with her comparisons, which added a level of humor to this fantastic story.
In my humble opinion, Ms. Yong has a ton of potential that she has tapped into here, and with a little more experience, could be on the level with David Farland (Wizard Born). This is worth the read, especially when you see what the imagination can create!
Cimorene
Enchanting Reviews
SFX Fantasy
Lulu
ISBN# 1847286542
eBook
fantasy, young adult, paranormal romance
$6.09 ebook download
Rating: 3 Enchantments
In the beginning, our young heroine, Sarah, escapes the vicious Ven'eelg - a creature with the upper body of a human, and the tail of a serpent - by flying, something she never knew she could do. In her attempt to distance herself from the Ven'eelg, Sarah encounters dragons, Spidr’ ac - the spider version of a centaur, Bate'evon - vampires with bat form, and finally, Jake.
Jake is an elite warrior, one of the legendary flying men who fight evil beings like the Ven’eelg and the dragons. Due to circumstances, Jake has an excess of power, which he shares with those strong enough to become warriors. Jake informs Sarah that he’d been watching her and shared some of his power with her to help her get away.
Jake and Sarah come to an agreement, whereby he teaches her how to become a stealth warrior. A problem arises when Sarah’s appearance as a warrior sends Jake running to his co-chief, Torin, asking him to find someone else to train Sarah because he’s too attracted to her.
Torin performs a mind probe on Sarah and discovers that she should be trained as an elite warrior, not stealth. He informs Jake that he is to speed up Sarah’s training. While the energy crackles and fizzles between Jake and Sarah, they manage to continue her training, and even go out on assignment to enemy territory. Very soon they find out that a she-serpent named Ley’dya is on Jake’s trail and after the excess of power he holds.
Before long, a host of dragons, Ven’eelg, Spidr’ac, and Bate’evon are gathered to make war on the Warriors and those they protect.
To save those he loves, Jake lets his power consume him as he unleashes it to destroy the enemy. To save the man she loves, Sarah absorbs as much of that power as she can through a very tender, steamy, setting-fire-to-equipment kiss that can only leave us mere mortals jealous and in awe.
I have to give Ms. Yong props here. Her story is very creative. I truly cannot think of one single book I have ever read that has included anything even remotely close to the Spidr’ac in WARRIOR GIRL.
I’m also very much in like with her comparisons, which added a level of humor to this fantastic story.
In my humble opinion, Ms. Yong has a ton of potential that she has tapped into here, and with a little more experience, could be on the level with David Farland (Wizard Born). This is worth the read, especially when you see what the imagination can create!
Cimorene
Enchanting Reviews
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)