Golden Blood Review

Golden Blood (Time Spirit Trilogy #1)
By Melissa Pearl
Published February 27th, 2012 by Melissa Pearl
248 pages

4 stars - Another great read!

Gemma Hart never knows when her father is going to whisk her back in time. Her toes start tingling and she has a few minutes to find a secret haven where she can disintegrate and appear in another time and place. While “across the line,” her training and skills are put to the test as she completes a mission that will change history for the lucky few her father has selected. 

Gemma's parents are adamant that secrecy is paramount to her family’s safety. If people knew what they were capable of, they could be "used and abused", as her mother always says. Afraid she might accidentally utter the truth and break the ancient oath of her people, Gemma spends her school days as a loner. Only one thing can throw her sheltered life askew... Harrison Granger.

Harrison never expected to talk to the strange Hart girl, but after a brief encounter he can't stop thinking about her. He begins a campaign to chisel away her icy veneer and is met with unexpected consequences. As he slowly wins this girl over, he enters a surreal world that has him fighting to keep his newfound love and his life.

To be honest I wasn't expecting to love Golden Blood as much as I did but as always I'm glad to be proven wrong. Golden Blood is probably the second book that I've read that has to do with time traveling but this book is definitely one of a kind. 

I really enjoyed the characters, Gemma, Harrison and Gemma's siblings. I really felt for Gemma because life as a teenager isn't easy for her what with having to keep secrets all the time. Her siblings and her aren't allowed to form too close of relationships with the kids at school because then keeping secrets can really be a burden. This is what keeps Gemma a loner because she isn't one that is able to lie as easily as her twin siblings but that has been all good until Harrison Granger. Like I was saying I enjoyed these characters and then there were some characters that I was a tad bit weary of. First of all Gemma is a girl that can kick ass and I really enjoyed how she was able to protect herself and not have to rely on someone else all the time. What I loved even more was that Harrison was able to accept this fact and treat Gemma with great respect. And even though Harrison didn't have the ability that Gemma's family had he was still strong. He wanted to fight for his relationship with Gemma and he didn't back down or give up. The twins are funny as well as some other smaller characters. We are able to read from both Gemma's and Harrison's point of view. This let me enjoy both of the character's personalities and thoughts. The prize for being the most suspicious would have to go to Gemma's parents because at first they seemed ok but then after awhile I started noticing a few odd things about them and their relationship with Gemma.

All in all this was a really interesting book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. The history of what Gemma's family is and can do kept me interested. I mean whenever they go back in time or change just one thing can cause the future to change as well. And besides having an awesome heroine and romance there is action and suspense. It really is an intriguing story and I can't wait to read the next book. So check this one out and see for yourself, I hope you enjoy!

Vanessa

Wraith Review

Wraith (Wraith #1)

By Angel Lawson

Published February 7th, 2012 by CreateSpace

266 pages

4 stars - Interesting Read!

Freak. Weird. Crazy. These are the names tossed around seventeen-year old Jane Watts by her fellow classmates. But things aren’t always as they seem. Sometimes there’s a reason for talking to yourself in the hallway at school.

Adjusting to her new home and school after an abrupt move, Jane just wants to be like everyone else at school. Although she does manage to make one friend, Evan — sixteen, charming and protective. Evan is everything a girl could want in a best friend, with one minor caveat: He’s dead.

Caught somewhere between life and death, Evan is tied to Jane and the living world, unable to complete the journey to the other side. She thinks he’s here to be her friend, to take care of her, and that’s why no one else can see or hear him.

That is, until a new boy shows up at school after a rumored stretch in juvie. Connor can see Evan and is not convinced that the ghost is completely honest. Past experience taught him how ghosts tend to need something from the humans they connect to and Evan, despite his arguments, isn’t any different.

Jane is resentful of Connor’s intrusion but soon realizes that her ghostly friend has secrets about his past. And now Evan's family, still reeling from his tragic death, is in danger. Jane must face her fears and battle Evan’s human demons to free both of them.

I picked up Wraith a couple days ago and thought that the topic of the book sounded pretty interesting. Now I haven't really read any ghost books or stories and so I didn't have anything to compare this to. I do know that Wraith isn't a scary ghost book or anything, its more about people who have been given the gift or curse to help deceased people accomplish what they didn't when they were alive.

Jane is considered a freak at school but then talking to yourself in the hallways might cause that kind of assumption. Jane isn't crazy or mentally ill but she can see ghosts or at the moment she can only see Evan. Evan is dead and Jane's current best friend. Nobody can see Evan though so that makes the two's relationship a little difficult at times, especially at school, until Connor comes along. Connor can see Evan and he claims that Evan has a hidden agenda but is it true?

So I found Wraith to be interesting and the idea of it was different from what I've been reading. I loved the characters, Jane, Evan, and Connor. I was able to feel for each of them and all their problems and at some points I even got a little teary eyed. I enjoyed the relationships between Jane and Evan and Jane and Connor as well. Wraith isn't just a ghost story, the whole reason for Evan's death is tragic and the whole idea of people who are able to help the dead is intriguing in a way. For a first book in a series I thought this one did pretty well and I'm excited to see that a second one is already out. I was able to bond with these characters and I loved how we were able to see each one of their stories. Wraith was a good book and one that I'd recommend  I especially enjoyed the very last part and liked how there weren't too many questions left unanswered  I look forward to reading the next book and hope that you find this one as enjoyable as I did.

Vanessa