Heir to the Lamp by Michelle Lowery Combs

A Goodreads Summary:

A family secret, a mysterious lamp, a dangerous Order with the mad desire to possess both. Ginn used to think she knew all there was to know about how she became adopted by parents whose #1 priority is to embarrass her with public displays of affection, but that changes when a single wish starts a never-ending parade of weirdness marching through her door the day she turns thirteen.

Gifted with a mysterious lamp and the missing pieces from her adoption story, Ginn tries to discover who…or what…she really is. That should be strange enough, but to top it off Ginn’s being hunted by the Order of the Grimoire, a secret society who’ll stop at nothing to harness the power of a real genie. Ginn struggles to stay one step ahead of the Grimms with the help of Rashmere, Guardian of the lamp and the most loyal friend a girl never knew she had. The Grimms are being helped, too—but by whom? As much as she doesn’t want to, Ginn’s beginning to question the motives of her long-time crush Caleb Scott and his connection to her newest, most dangerous enemy.

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My Thoughts...

When I was first asked to read and review this book, I was afraid that I would have a hard time being completely honest.  I know the author personally and consider her a good friend of mine.  Needless to say, I have no problem with telling you how much I enjoyed this novel.

We start out with a story of Virginia, aka Ginn, and her misfit, chaotic family.  She seems normal and as happy as a 13-year-old girl can be.  She has normal struggles with her mother’s cooking, her brothers and larger-than-normal bullies.  She’s witty, independent and sporty. 

And she just so happens to be one of a few children in her family that is adopted. 

When Ginn discovers that things around her are changing due to silent wishes, her Grandmother unveils the story of her birth family and unlocks a world she had only heard about in books.  While trying to grasp the reality of the person she really is, she’s introduced to a new friend and protector that takes many shapes and forms over the course of the book, Rashmere.  He becomes Ginn’s guide in this new world she has involuntarily become a part of, teaching her the ropes and educating her about the enemies of her kind.

Together with help from her Gran, her brother CJ, CJ’s cute friend, Caleb, and Rashmere, Ginn learns how to navigate her new world and discovers that her enemies will stop at nothing to get their hands on her and her lamp.

Typically, I would think this novel would be more geared toward the younger YA group.  However, that being said, I’m in my early 30’s and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I was really fond of Ginn’s independent nature and ability to adjust quickly to the overload of information thrown at her.  She was strong when she needed to be, but I also loved that I could still see the snarky teenager creeping through her brave façade.  I found myself silently rooting for Ginn and her newly-discovered abilities.

I adored precious Rashmere and his loyal nature.  Ginn’s family made me laugh a lot throughout the book and reminded me a good bit of my own chaotic life. 

This book was an easy read but I still felt challenged in a good way.  It kept my brain occupied trying to remember stories and connections without overwhelming the plot of the story.  The pace was quick without feeling rushed. 

I think any fan of YA paranormal books would really enjoy this one.  For Michelle’s debut novel, I am beyond impressed (and more than a little proud of my friend).  I cannot wait to read more of Ginn’s adventures in the sequels!

"Em Says..." Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

"Em Says..." will be a new addition to my blog.  Emily is a very good friend of mine and will be periodically contributing as a guest reviewer.  She's smart, witty, funny, pretty and a fantastic wife, mom and friend.  She and I share a lot of the same tastes in literature, and I trust her to be brutally honest about what she reads and reviews.

A Goodreads Summary:

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.

But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

My Thoughts:

The first thing I noticed about Pushing the Limits was that there were 58! chapters. Not to worry, with the point of view change that came with each chapter this was an easy read and I found myself finishing the book in a day. Getting inside both our lead characters’ heads was important and enjoyable. Echo and Noah are two very different people and it was lovely to see both perspectives as their relationship developed.

Echo Emerson has been through hell and back but has no recollection of the day that completely changed her life. We meet Echo as she begins the last half of her senior year in high school by attending an appointment with the school’s new clinical social worker, Mrs. Collins.  As she struggles to reclaim her “normal” by reconnecting with friends, she begins a journey that leads her to places she hadn’t intended – one of those places being in the sights of Noah Hutchins.

Speaking of our hero, Noah has had a rough life as well. He’s an orphan who has been labeled a troublemaker by the foster care system. It seems at first that his life goal is to live up to the labels assigned to him by people who barely know anything about him and trust me when I say those labels won’t help him aspire to be or do much. But underneath that initial layer is a complex young man who wants his family back. Noah is also assigned to work with Mrs. Collins and her relationship with both students was integral to the growth of both characters that we get to witness throughout the story. Noah and Echo are paired up for tutoring by Mrs. Collins and their relationship begins.

One of the things I think Katie McGarry does very well in this book is develop a realistic high school environment. The characters, both main and secondary, were well-developed and multi-dimensional. There are layers to the story and the world that McGarry built. Echo has Lila, her BFF; her father; and her babysitter turned step-mother Ashley, in addition to her sometime friends who haven’t quite figured out how to treat Echo since the unknown event two years prior. Noah has Beth and Isaiah. Both have Mrs. Collins who quickly became my favorite secondary character. She seemed genuinely interested in helping her students and, unlike so many in their lives, didn’t give up at the first sign of push back.

As Echo and Noah get to know each other, there were moments I swooned, moments I cringed, and moments I was blown away by their perceptiveness.

“Her eyes met mine again. “So what does this mean for us?”

I lowered my forehead to hers. “It means you’re mine.”

Yes, really, every single time I read that line I squee a little bit.

“Liar," she spat. "Because the only way anyone will ever be okay with me is if they love me. Really love me enought to not care that I'm damaged. You don't love people. You have sex with them. So how could you want to be with me?”

I loved that Echo really did stand up for herself to Noah even though she wasn’t able to do that with everyone in her life.

“Normal. She wanted normal and so did I.”

I thought a major theme from the book was finding normal and accepting that it may not be what you thought when you set out on your search.

The last thing I’ll say is Echo and Noah made me laugh quite a bit with their thoughts. While there is some serious stuff going on throughout the book, it was fun being inside their heads for a bit. I mean, how awesome is it that Echo can compare a case of the butterflies she once had to the now insane dinosaurs residing in her belly when she sees Noah?

“Luke used to give me butterflies. Noah spawned mutant pterodactyls.”

I highly recommend Pushing the Limits. It is, in my opinion, a perfect YA contemporary. I’m not big on giving 5 stars but in this case, I can’t help it. (I think what pushed me over is that Noah calls Echo baby, which normally isn’t my favorite thing but in here was super cute.)

Warning… Book contains language and adult situations.

Note from Deborah:  I've read this book also and agree with everything above.  I'll be posting a review for the sequel, Dare You To, in the next few days.

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

A Goodreads Summary:

"I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.

Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances."

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My Thoughts...

After a week of seeing several people on Twitter raving about this book, I decided to give it a try.  Needless to say, at one point toward the end of the book, I was cooking dinner with one hand and holding my Kindle in the other.  

Nastya, the main character, seems like she's living a typical life of teenage rebellion.  She has attitude, refuses to dress normally and spends her days loathing herself.  However, her story is anything but normal for a teenage girl.  As it unfolds, you start to feel a deep compassion for her and wonder how she will ever get over her past.

Her therapy comes in the form of Josh Bennett, a reclusive, brooding, yet very swoony, teenager himself.  The two begin to form a bond, identifying with one another in a way others cannot.  He shares his secrets and past with her, but even though he shows her the patience and understanding he can have, she can't bring herself to lay it all out for him.   Ultimately, this leads them to a place of destruction.

There are several sweet, cute or thought-provoking tidbits interwoven into their dialog:

"Just so you know," he mimics me, "I would chop that table up and use it for firewood before I would ever choose anything over you." - Josh Bennett

“I wished my mother was here tonight, which is stupid, because it’s an impossible wish.” He shrugs and turns to me, drowning the smile that cracks me every time. 
“It’s not stupid to want to see her again.” “It wasn’t so much that I wanted to see her again,” he says, looking at me with the depth of more than seventeen years in his eyes. “I wanted her to see you.” 

"Do real boys actually call girls baby? I don't have enough experience to know. I do know that if a guy ever called me baby, I'd probably laugh in his face. Or choke him.” 

"Daylight won’t protect you from anything. Bad things happen all the time; they don’t wait until after dinner."



I cannot tell you how much of a book hangover I had when I finished.  These characters made me feel so, so much.   When they loved, I loved. When they broke, I broke.  When they healed, I healed with them.  

I recommended the story to a good friend of mine, not knowing how she might receive it.  I anxiously awaited her reaction.  Not too long after she starting reading, my phone started pinging with notifications of direct messages on twitter.  In the end, I believe we exchanged about fifty flaily direct messages yesterday.  Needless to say, I believe she loved it.

Ultimately, this is a story of forgiveness and second chances.  I encourage you to give it a try.  It earned 5 stars from me on Goodreads.  I'm sure you won't be disappointed.  Happy Reading!

P.S.  Warning: This book contains some language and adult situations.