Author Archives: karenjvjohnson

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The Flame and the Arrow

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The Flame and the Arrow

(Annika Brisby #1)

by Emigh Cannaday

This was one of those books that had me torn as to how I felt and what I could say about it. It took me a month to get through the first 30 chapters, but the last 15 chapters finally got me and flew by. I guess I could have stopped reading but I knew that if I kept at it I would find that sweet spot. I like when I get information about the characters and their world but this was a bit of information overload. The world building itself is exceptional, I was there with them all the way. The language used was perfect for each of the characters and conveyed their thoughts and feelings well.

I had a hard time getting into this partly because the main female character did not seem to have any depth to her, she appeared to be simple and easy. The main male character was charismatic but not always likeable.

Annika Brisby is a sometime musician, and all the time waitress who has avoided real love all her life. When her current boyfriend proposes she gives him a resounding “No” but walks away with the huge diamond engagement ring. When he her Uncle asks her to go and cook for him and his crew she is happy to do it. While there she meets her destiny.

Talvi meets Annika in a bookstore in Sofia and cannot get her off his mind. After returning home to the dimension that parallels ours all he can do is hope to find that ‘saucy girl’ once again. Like Annika he has shunned love for the superficial. He has always known what waits for him at his 300th birthday but cannot believe it will happen as predicted.

When I finally decide I like the characters enough to read the next books it turns out that they are going to change. Annika was easily manipulated but it looked like she may have grown out of it, but the next books just find her betraying everything. The other characters who were honorable turn out to be way less than so. Give it a go if you like deep fantasy.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The mystical animal took a step back as if to leave, and Annika was overcome by a deep longing in her heart. “Please,” she gently begged. “Don’t go…Tell me something else. Tell me about why I’m here.” You are here because Fate invited you. You cannot go back the way you came. I suggest you go forward instead. With that, the mystical being walked back into the woods as silently as it had emerged.

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Halloween Magic & Mayhem

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Halloween Magic & Mayhem
(Magical Misadventures of Emily Rand #1)
by Stella Wilkinson

I had kind of sworn off YA for a while because I needed something just a bit more adult than the teen angst that seemed to be such a big part of some in the genre. Glad I took the time to read this one because I enjoyed it completely from start to finish. The characters who were introduced were all interesting, even the ghost, who could have been just a shadow form. The story while not original was told in a witty way that made it fun to read.

Emily Rand lived alone with her father until a few years ago when his girlfriend and her son moved in disrupting her life. She is about to turn 16 years old and while she is not happy about the intruders in her home she can be happy about other things. Emily has finally met a boy who seems to like her as much as she likes him. But before any of that can happen she is asked to visit her aunt, her mothers sister, who has something very important to tell her. What happens when a 16 year old finds out that she is a witch with actual powers? Chaos ensues!

Definitely recommended!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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My November Halloween

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My November Halloween

by John Joseph

This was a story that I could not find my way into. Maybe it was because I could not sympathize with the character or maybe its because he simply did not interest me. This was not so much a book for me as it was an essay on the characters feelings. There was no true interaction between the reader and the narrator for me. It took me five days to read a story that should have taken me no more than two hours at most to read.

While I did not find this story particularly interesting or moving it does not mean that someone else will not. It really was not what I was expecting.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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Paradise 10k

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Paradise 10K

by Shane Gregory

This was a really good story that gave a good look into the world that they were living in. The characters while sketched lightly still had enough depth to make you smile or feel bad when something happened. I really just liked the idea of a run being used to thin the herd as it were inside the safe zone they have created. I haven’t ever read anything by this author but I would like to read something longer next time so I can get a better feel for him.

Theo has signed up to run in the Paradise 10k in the hopes that he can be one of those to make it to the island and a life of safety and leisure. The only thing that makes him different from the other 399 participants is that he has only one leg and does not want to deal with anyone. There is also something that he is hiding.

This is worth a Halloween read.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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The Little Death

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The Little Death

by Dawn Buckner

I found both Simon and Mimi to be unlikable characters. The story was not really very interesting because there was no context I could see. Simon was a selfish rich guy who found everybody to be less than expects. Mimi was full of herself without any good reason . The story just had no action, no interest, no nothing.

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

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Slipping into Darkness

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Slipping Into Darkness

by Rachel Wells

This was a great idea but it was never really fleshed out. You did not get the idea that any of them were afraid or anything else. It was a one girl show with no action, very little talk, and no idea of what was happening. The characters were vague simple shells of people. I could not relate to anyone. I did not like the format, it reminded me of an essay more than a book.

While it did not appeal to me it might work for someone else.

My rating: 1.5 of 5 stars

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The Ninth Life

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The Ninth Life

by Steve Wicks

This was a short but very good story that had me interested pretty much from the beginning with a start that I would not have expected. The characters were a bit vague and I did not really get to know them like I would have liked to but the psyche of the main character was easily figured out. The blurb and story do not tell the same tale, I kept waiting for them to at least be similar. There is a good lead up to the finale and it keeps you reading waiting for the punch line you may or may not have seen coming.

Carlton is a sex addict who has bedded so many women he can not keep the faces straight. He has a philosophy that works for him but not always the women who he picks up. When he starts to remember one girl in particular over and over he at first dismisses it as hallucinations or stress. But when things start to happen that he cannot explain he finds things changing in his life and not for the better.

While there are no scares involved you do have an atmosphere of heavy anticipation and menace.. The ending is perfect.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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The Wolves Among Us

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The Wolves Among Us

by Shawn Winstone

Decent story, decent characters, and decent set up. This was a short that moved fairly quickly and with a good flow. The characters were all a bit thin as far as who they were but still had enough presence to keep you reading.

Agent Calico Burns is with FBI when he is assigned to a case that seems to involve a werewolf. He is sent in with a new partner and as they investigate find that there is something strange going on.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Infectious

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Infectious

by Robin Romero

While I did not dislike this it would never make my top one hundred either. There are what I hope are numerous typos, if not someone does not know how to spell a lot of words. The grammatical errors are fewer but still a bit distracting. This is a short story and should have gotten my attention immediately but sadly did not. There is no real tension or feeling of menace, the characters are generic and do not elicit any feelings one way or the other.

For a diversion or something to do this can suffice but other than that I can’t say much for it.

A platoon of soldiers goes into a Vietnam village because a biological weapon has been detonated above it. They are sent in to police the bodies and get first hand information on what the weapon does. It does a lot more than they would have ever expected.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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The K2 Virus

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The K2 Virus

by Scott Rhine

I have never read anything from this author before and so did not know what to expect. It has been a while since I read a political or medical thriller and this could pull me back into reading more of both if they are this good. I enjoyed the fact that there was a slow build on how things progressed as opposed to a break neck speed in getting to the heart of things. This did not catch me with the first page but by chapter two I was all in. The characters were very well laid out and seem genuine for the most part though some were just sketched since they did not appear very often. The story was believable as far as the science behind the evolution of the virus and its spread, which made it perfect.

Daniel Mann is a 27 year old man who has deferred his life in order to care for his mother after an accident left her a partial invalid. He is working a job he hates and is overqualified for just for the benefits. Daniel brought down a company and wants to make it up to the other employees by getting them jobs but he ends up in a bad situation because he cannot seem to read women.

In North Korea a virus has been unleashed in the population by men trying to make money inside a repressive country. Jero is a smuggler who gets tainted beef which he takes to his brother-in-law to butcher for sale. He along with several others are infected by the mucus and blood of the cows. Because of the close confines they live in the virus finds a lot of hosts in a short period of time as they go about their normal business.

There is political posturing, medical issues, military intrigue, not to mention lots of spies from all sides. South Korea is caught unaware because they just want things to calm down on both sides. This definitely makes you think.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars