"Red" (ARC Review)

My rating: ★★★☆☆

Author: Alyxandra Harvey

Series: Stand-alone

Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural, Young Adult

Publisher: Entangled Teen (Entangled Publishing, LLC)

Page Count: 198 (Kindle)

Release Date: March 10, 2015

Places to order:
Amazon (Kindle)
Barnes & Noble (Nook)
Indigo (eBook)

Synopsis:

Bad girls burn hot…

Red is the color of Kia Alcott's hair.
It's her temper, which blazes hot and always gets Kia into way too much trouble.
And it's the color of fire. Fires that Kia can start…just by thinking about them.

When her latest “episode” gets her kicked out of school, Kia is shipped off to her grandmother, who works for the wealthy Blackwoods. It's an estate shrouded in secrets, surrounded by rules, and presided over by a family that is far from normal…including the gorgeous and insolent Ethan Blackwood.

Ethan knows far more about the dangers of the forest surrounding the estate than Kia can ever imagine. For this forest has teeth, and Ethan is charged with protecting the outside world from its vicious mysteries.

But inside, even the most vibrant shade of red doesn't stand a chance against the dark secrets of the Blackwood family…

My review:

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This story is told from the perspectives of two teenagers, Kia Alcott and Ethan Blackwood. Kia is your average new girl--the one who immediately gets branded as a "psycho" because of her unfortunate past at her previous school. What those students don't know is that Kia didn't set the fire at all, or at least not intentionally.  She has the ability to conjure up fire if her emotions get the best of her.

At the beginning of the novel, I immediately liked Kia because of her witty attitude and smartass remarks which is very entertaining to read throughout the story. It's also easy to understand her feeling of isolation in her POV since she had to move to a new place with a grandmother she hardly knew and because of her strange powers that can hurt others. But when it switched to Ethan's POV, there wasn't much flow to the transition from one person's POV to the next, instead, as the reader, I felt thrown off and had to figure out where Ethan was and what he was doing. I totally understand that when there's more than one character narrating the story, it's okay to break the flow to show a different voice; but it felt too disjointed and disconnected to the point where I had to reread the beginning of the chapters to get a sense of where Ethan was (since it was mostly his POV that kept confusing me).

Despite some of the things I didn't like about the book, something that I did like was Alyxandra's writing style; it was simple, easy to understand (no complex diction or talking "pig latin") and effective. One example I saw throughout "Red" to show the simplicity/effectiveness of her writing style are the times when you can see Kia's character and attitude (which made me laugh multiple times though the story). Kia, as I stated earlier, is the classic new girl but instead of shrinking away and avoiding people like the plague, she's sarcastic, stubborn and gets herself into trouble with the "popular girl" (which would be Justine, who is also part of Ethan's strange group of friends). She's my ideal protagonist, period.

Pros:

• Beautiful cover
• Interesting plot & concept
• Witty, sarcastic female protagonist 
• Multiple secondary characters to help build the story

Cons:

• When changing from Kia's POV to Ethan's POV, it became disjointed and confusing/lack of flow
• Too fast-paced 
• Some of the characters' personality would change drastically

Overall, I really did enjoy this book, but everything felt rushed and didn't flow right to me. The overall idea and concept of the story is what kept me wanting to continue reading since there were a couple of unanswered questions and mysteries that weren't resolved until the last 50 pages. I applaud Alyxandra for coming up with the plot and storyline for "Red," and if she writes new novel in the future, I would pick up a copy to see more of her writing style as well as if she improved on it! :)

~Whit Lo

COVER REVEAL: "Lead Me Back Home" by Brandi Lynch

Here is the cover of LEAD ME BACK HOME by Brandi Lynch, which is releases on October 6th, 2015 from Spencer Hill Press, and this Brandi's debut YA paranormal novel! Make sure to send her some love via social media links down below or via email at brandi.m.lynch@gmail.com

"Lead Me Back Home"
by Brandi Lynch
Release Date: October 6th, 2015
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Synopsis:

High school junior Trisha Myles thought her sister loved her, but her sister's suicide note revealed that she'd wished Trisha had never existed. In the aftermath, Trisha abandons her old life to become a social ghost. Not existing is sort of peaceful... until a vicious bully targets her.

She’s saved by Jesse Reagan--the one guy in Hoghfield, Alabama who outranks her as an outcast. Trisha’s desire to live blossoms, but spending time with Jesse is more than she bargained for. After she freaks over the slashes on his arms, he explains he’s cursed--a curse that can only be controlled by blood magic. Trisha thinks he’s insane--especially when he tells her someone has cursed her, too. But when freak accidents almost crush Jesse with a truck and destroy her attempts to reclaim her old life, Trisha knows it’s not just a delusion. 

A ritual can free them from their curses, but only if they can shed their guilt and anger. However, if Trisha and Jesse can’t let go, the curse will bleed Jesse dry, and Trisha will lose the person who brought her back to life. 

About Brandi:

Brandi Lynch lives in rural Arkansas with her fiancé. When she’s not reading or conjuring stories of her own, she enjoys delving into the rich world of an RPG or chatting on Twitter. Oh, and there’s work in between.

Blog // Twitter // Facebook // Goodreads

COVER REVEAL: "The Gateway of Light and Darkness" by Heather Marie +GIVEAWAY (U.S. only)

Here is the cover of THE GATEWAY OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS by Heather Marie, which releases April 13th, 2015 from Curiosity Quills Press, and is the follow-up to the YA supernatural thriller THE GATEWAY THROUGH WHICH THEY CAME.

Before you jump to the awesome cover below, here’s a note from Heather Marie:

"Hi hi! Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out the cover reveal! I’m so psyched to share the Light and Darkness cover with you. It went through a lot of changes before the final version was chosen, and watching it develop into what it is now was seriously exciting! If you enjoyed book one, you are in for a treat. I had way too much fun writing book two, admittedly more fun than the first, because Aiden and the gang go through some intense twist and turns throughout the entire story. If there’s one thing I love, it’s definitely hearing from my beta readers just how crazy and exciting the journey was for them. It’s my hope that you feel the same way and I can’t wait for you to read the final installment in the Gateway Series! With that being said, thank you again for reading Aiden’s story, and now let’s get to the creeptastic cover reveal, shall we? Enjoy!"

"THE GATEWAY OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS"
by Heather Marie
Release date: April 13th, 2015
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
eBook: 978-1-62007-848-8
Paperback: 978-1-62007-849-5
Hardcover: 978-1-62007-850-1

Disclaimer:

If you HAVE NOT read the first book "The Gateway Through Which They Came," you should not read the synopsis (in case of *spoilers*). BUT, go all the way down the post to see the GIVEAWAY if you are interested!

Synopsis (on Goodreads):

The battle of good vs. evil wages on for Aiden Ortiz in this final installment of the Gateway Series: The Gateway of Light and Darkness. With the Dark Priest defeated, and the Brethren of Shadows refusing to forfeit calling upon the Darkness, the Brethren are determined more than ever to discover a way to banish the Men of Light for good. And as the Dark Priest's curse invading Aiden's veins continues to take on a life of its own, he finds himself in a standoff between his own kind, and the Brethren that want to recruit him for all the wrong reasons. Accompanied by fellow Gateway, Julie Martin, and his best friends Trevor and Evan, seventeen-year-old Aiden prepares himself for the battle of his life. 

Protecting those he loves, and learning to put aside his differences for his father in order to learn the ways of the Light, Aiden begins to realize that the thing endangering their lives might not be the threat of the Brethren alone, but the thing taking shape inside of him —readying to unleash itself upon them all.

Places to pre-order:
Amazon (kindle)

About Heather Marie:

Heather Marie lives in Northern California with her husband, and spends the majority of her time at home reading. Before she followed her dreams of becoming a writer, Heather worked as a hairstylist and makeup artist for several years. Although she enjoyed the artistic aspect of it all, nothing quite quenched her creative side like the telling of a good story. When the day had come for her to make a choice, she left behind her promising career to start another, and never looked back.

Heather is represented by Danielle Smith at Red Fox Literary.

Website // Instagram // Twitter // Facebook // Pinterest // Tumblr


GIVEAWAY:

One winner (U.S. Only) will win a signed paperback of THE GATEWAY OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS. Check out the Rafflecopter below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway