DDBook Reviews

  The Miriam Webster Dictionary defines a child as a young person, especially between infancy and puberty and a young adult as: of, relating to, or being a category of fiction that is primarily intended for adolescent readers . In this article, when referring to children and Young Adults, these are the intended meanings  (Dictionary, 2022) . As a mother, avid reader, English language teacher and most importantly, a Reformed Protestant Christian, I have always held the conviction that it is vital to a child and young adult’s development, both intellectually, emotionally and socially, to read and interact with as much variety in their reading diet as possible. I especially think that exposure to good quality fantasy and fairytales is essential (yes even Disney). This I feel is true for children in general but especially for Christian children. I have found when teaching that if a child has no fantasy/fairytale in their life, it is difficult for them to imagine the images described

 Raven Thrall (Legends of the Ceo San #1)                                                                       Click on the image to go to amazon Raven Thrall is the first in the Legends of the Ceo San series by J. Elizabeth Vincent. Miriah had fled across the sea, believing that her mother had betrayed her and sold her to the King's men. She has made a new life for herself. In a world where Ceo San people (people who could shapeshift into an animal) were being hunted and enslaved by a greedy and power-hungry king, Miriah has been half changed her entire life. She was a tall, lean woman with striking silver hair and a pair of huge black and silver wings on her back. W hen faced with the choice of going back to her homeland to help save the family of a fellow shifter, she is forced into a complete shift through necessity and she and a young crow eager to find his siblings take in an impossible quest. Along the way, Miriah and Xae make some interesting friends, have some battles

 Books by Julie C Gilbert:   Princess Melia's Plight: A Fantasy Short Story Featuring Princesses and Dragons                                          click on the image to go to amazon' I could not finish this, I fell asleep at the same place each time I tried. But it is a clean story for very young adults. So I would advise it for young fantasy lovers. River's Edge Ransom                                                                                          Click on the image to go to amazon This prequel to the Huntsman and the Healer has some small spoilers but is as a matter of fact a good lead up to what happens in the Huntsman and the Healer. Marina and Daniel meet when he is hired to kill her. We also see a bit into the family dynamic and from there the Huntsman and the Healer make much more sense. The Huntsman and the Healer – Julie C Gilbert                               Wow! So I listened to a book by the same author which I could not finish, and a such was scept

  Click on the image to see it in amazon A Touch of Romance is the second book in the Romantic Encounters series, written by Paullett Golden. While attending a writers retreat at her friend’s estate, Leila Owen waits for her father to return from India with her betrothed. An arranged marriage to help him further in the company he presents in India. With the true heart of a romantic, she hopes for a partner in the treasure hunt to be handsome and dashing, full knowing that nothing can come of any bonds forged over the week. Mr Jules Knowlton has come to the retreat between the end of his fellowship and starting his turn as Regius Professor of Greek at Cambridgeshire. When paired with Leila for the treasure hunt, he is pleasantly surprised to find all they have in common. Soon a romance of the mind as much as the heart ensues. Knowing that Leila is meant to marry a stranger, they concoct a scheme to ingratiate Jules to her mother by interviewing her regarding her life in Bengal. This

  Two brothers, one drawn to the chaos, the other to order. One searching for cures in his hospital and the other an Inquisitor. Silas, a brilliant healer and Dunewell the Inquisitor’s younger brother, arrives barefoot on Dunewell’s doorstep, wet with rain and blood, after finding their parents murdered in their bed. Dunewell, the Inquisitor, is charged to investigate the double murder.    In the intricate dance for balance and truth, each brother follows his path. To find their destinies and become the Lord’s of Chaos and Order. click on the image to go to amazon This is a good story once you get your bearings.  The prologue sets up the story intense and draws you in. Then, however, I was lost. The Formatting made it challenging to follow and figure out exactly what is going on.  But if you stick it out and go back more than once, you will realise that the story is told from both Silas and Dunewell’s viewpoints.  It could have been clearer, and the audiobook especially is confusing in

  " Mila Anslov, the poor Navia who had gone to sea, lured away by the smile of a pretty fae. A girl who soon found herself residing at the lowest portion of the ocean, her death spurring Navka to rise from her watery grave." - The Starlit Coast click on the image to go to amazon At the end of the Barren Sea, we left Mila, where she chose to go back to Haldia, as Demetri proclaimed the goddess Navka who had risen from the sea. Finn and his friends were going back to Whyn. Now three months later, days before Mila is unified with the High priest, she is not happy.  She may be the goddess Navka, but she essentially lived in prison, although a gilded one. She wishes she had made a different decision in the Barren Sea and that she could see Finn. The day before the grand affair of her unification with the high priest – Demetri- she discovered an intruder in her room.  The last person she thought she would see.  Finn had come to bring her an offering, the one thing as a patron

  click on image to go to amazon After all the excitement of the previous months, Emily Buchannan, owner of Eternal Rest Bed and Breakfast, is looking forward to the Oakhill Art Festival. She has a temp coming into man at the front desk, which means she is free to do her regular volunteer work at the Festival. It is her chance to be out of the house and relax between the beautiful artworks. She has guests staying with her, all of the artists. For the first time in weeks, it seems that there will be no scandal around Eternal Rest.   That is until an artist is killed at the Festival.   At first, it looks like a heart attack, but suspicions develop around his death as evidence comes in.   Sage has instructed Emily to practice her budding talent as a medium with her ghosts at Eternal Rest.   The plot seems straightforward until a twist takes it in an unexpected direction. Emily and her friends have to try and piece evidence left by a ghost to catch a killer in their midst. Picture Perfec