Book Reviewing Degree

Wooohooo!  I earned my degree in Book Reviewing!  Thanks Booksparks!

Blog Tour- Stillwater Rising

I just finished reading Stillwater Rising by Steena Holmes for a Booksparks University Fall Reading Challenge.

About the book:

After losing her son in an elementary school shooting that devastates the tight-knit community of Stillwater Bay, Jennifer Crowne finds herself unable to settle back into her role of perfect stay-at-home mom and committee organizer. Meanwhile, her best friend, Mayor Charlotte Stone, struggles to keep the town together, and Charlotte’s husband, the school principal, may not be the hero everyone thinks him to be.

As they try to heal from this irrevocable trauma, Jenn and Charlotte find themselves at a crossroads—within the town and within their friendship. For Jenn, broken and grieving, there is no going back, and she demands that the school be closed so that she can bury the past. Yet Charlotte is equally desperate to hold the town together, fighting the school closure and helping the shooter’s mother regain her place in the community. Jenn and Charlotte’s relationship is put to the ultimate test as each weighs her own interests against the bonds of their friendship.

School shootings are terrifying.  Even more so because I'm a teacher.  So this one struck me deeply.  But it's not just a story about loss.  It's also about grieving, hope and friendship.

I can't even begin to image when Jenn had gone through.  And honestly, I'm surprised that more of the parents of the kids who were killed didn't feel the same way.  I certainly didn't blame her or fault her for her feelings.  And I found myself disliking her husband Robert because I didn't feel like he did care about what happened.  

I also felt so bad for Julia, the mother of the teenage who murdered the kids.  I could feel her pain.  And I can't even begin to imagine what SHE felt knowing that her own son had done the unthinkable.

As for the other characters, they were hit or miss for me.  We know Jordan, the school principal had a secret.  I thought I knew what it was but I was wrong (and I should have seen it!)  The mayor of the town and the reporter were okay but I felt like some of their actions and thoughts were misplaced.

This definitely wasn't an easy book to read but it does show how a community can band together in a time of tragedy to survive.

I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the BookSparks University Fall Reading Challenge

Buy the book:

·         Amazon Kindle

·         Amazon Paperback

About the author:

With a passion for storytelling, Steena Holmes took her dream of being a full-time writer and made it a reality, writing her first novel while working as a receptionist. She won the National Indie Excellence Book Award in 2012 for her bestselling novel Finding Emma. Steena currently lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her husband, three daughters, and two dogs. She likes to celebrate completing each new novel with chocolate.

Connect with the author:

·         Facebook

·         Twitter

·         Website

·         Goodreads

Book Review- The Wonder

During my Thanksgiving trip, I finished The Wonder (Queen of Hearts #2) by Colleen Oakes for a Booksparks University Fall Reading Challenge!

About the book:

Volume Two of the Bestselling and Award-Winning Queen of Hearts Saga Awards for Volume One, The Crown: *YA Winner, 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards* *YA Fiction Finalist, 2014 International Book Awards*

An Exiled Princess. An Ancient Tribe. A Dangerous Stranger. Dinah, the former Princess of Wonderland Palace, has been chased into the wilds of Wonderland after the murder of her brother and the ruin of her coronation. Now, as her half-sister Vittiore sits on the throne beside her father, the brutal King of Hearts, Dinah finds herself alone in the forbidding Twisted Wood with only Morte, a homicidal beast, for company. Hunted by the King and his army of Cards, Dinah struggles to evade those who long for her head, including Cheshire, the King's clever advisor, who is slowly tightening his grasp around her.

The former Princess finds herself at the center of a web of conspiracy reaching far beyond the Palace and deep into the mysterious Yurkei mountain tribes. But Dinah knows something that her allies and enemies do not: that the most dangerous conflict of all has already begun as she battles the rage inside of her, and love slips further from her grasp. But be warned...not every fairy tale has a happy ending. This is the story of a princess who became a villain.

Once again, I loved reading this take on Alice in Wonderland and seeing how the characters in this story relate to the original (both novel and Disney movie).  We see a lot of the same characters, but we also get a quick glimpse into who the caterpillar was.

There were some twists in this book.  One I didn't see coming at all.  The one towards the end, I did.

I liked Dinah more in this sequel than I did in the original book.  I thought that she was stronger and not so naive. 

 The end of the book definitely had me turning the pages.  I didn't realize I was at the end of the story until I turned the page and I wanted more!  I'm looking forward to reading the final book of the trilogy!

I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the BookSparks University Fall Reading Challenge.

Praise for the book:

Named one of the Most Cinematic Indie Books ----Kirkus Reviews

"Queen of Hearts will keep you dreaming of Wonderland long after you read the last page. I want more of these characters, more of this fantastical world!" --Lorie Langdon, author of the Doon series

Buy the book:

Amazon Paperback

About the author:

Colleen Oakes is the author of the Elly in Bloom Series and the YA fantasy The Queen of Hearts Saga, both published via Sparkpress. She lives in North Denver with her husband and son. When not writing, Colleen enjoys swimming, traveling, and immersing herself in nerdy pop culture. She is currently at work on the third Elly novel and another YA fantasy series titled Wendy Darling.

Connect with the author:

·         Facebook

·         Twitter

·         Website

·         Goodreads