The Reflections of Snow White by David Meredith

Long after she got her happily ever after life has taken a turn for the worse for Snow White. Her beloved Charming has died. Even after a year grief and depression still have Snow in their firm grasp. One fateful day she wonders up to the abandoned tower, where her stepmother reigned. There in she finds something to help her rediscover who she is inside.

 Loved, loved, loved, this book. Not only do you get to see a part of a classic fairytale that hasn't been thought about, let alone told. You get to see a different view of Snows childhood, you get to see different moments of her married life. It's truly incredible.

I liked getting to see more about Snow's life while she lived with her stepmother. It's not something for the faint of heart and something most people couldn't have withstood.

I also enjoyed the incredible smoothness of the transitions between the flashbacks and the present. It's seamless and very nice.

I received this book courtesy of the author in exchange for my free and honest review.

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Cia as one of the top of her class has been selected to participate in the testing. The chance to leave her colony and to become a leader to help the revitalization of her nation. But things are rarely as easy as they seem. Cia's father had participated and passed the testing, and remembers none of it. What he does remember comes in the form in nightmares. Cia will have to watch who she trusts, and keep her wits about her if she's going to survive the testing.

Cia is a strong, quick thinking, and compassionate individual. She has dreamed of escaping the Five Lakes colony since she was a young girl. The testing is her way of doing just that. She and three others are the first people to be selected from Five Lakes in a very long time. Over 100 children have been selected but only 20 will pass and attend the university. Slightly under a 1 in 5 chance.

The testing was absolutely fascinating. Each phase was unique and creative and kind of terrible. I loved it, the tension felt real, all of the emotions felt real. It was exceptionally well done.

So much love for this book. My friend's little sister recommended this book. I'm so glad that she did I binge read the entire series, in one night starting at about 7 and finishing the series at about 2:30 A.M., it was completely worth it.

If you  like dystopian fiction read this book. You won't regret it.

Finding Secrets by Rosemary Groux

 The Brewyds are a humanoid race that can hear the songs of nature, and the songs of people. These harmony's can be distorted when people are sick, or sick at heart. They have been around since the dawn of time, but around the time of King Aurthur people let fear into their hearts and thought of them as witches. So the bloodline has become watered down, and abilities have been forgotten and lost over the years. That is where Cassie comes in. She is a decedent of a prominent Brewyrd from the time of Camelot. After escaping with her friends her adventure is just beginning. They travel back in time to Camelot, where secrets are reveled and new questions need answers.

I suppose I should have realized that this would have had religious undertones when I saw the reviews from youth pastors. Don't get me wrong I loved the book and if I get the opportunity I'll read the rest of the series. It just got a tiny bit overhanded, not bad and I know some people who will love this book all the more for it.

The Brewyrds are my favorite part of the story. Their abilities are carefully crafted, the abilities to wield weapons, to heal, and to mend songs of people.

I also enjoyed the setting, Camelot. That entire time period has always been a source of fascination for me. And this story supplemented the classic story beautifuly. Giving a new dimension to the doomed love triangle. Adding new characters to the original cast seamlessly.

After I finished this book I learned that the author is only 18. I'm impressed, I would've assumed that this was a more experienced author. Rosemary has an amazing talent, and I can't wait to see where she takes it next.

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for my free and honest review.

Guest Post by Casey Clubb

Today is the day for our guest post by the wonderful author Casey Clubb. To celebrate the release of her book Jacob King of Portalia.

Casey Clubb lives near Portland, Oregon with her husband and her ever-growing collection
of stuffed Tiggers.

Links
Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7825631.Casey_Clubb
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/CaseyClubb1
Twitter- https://twitter.com/Tigger_Rocks1
Website- www.caseyclubb.com

And now without further ado here is Casey's guest post:

"Many thanks to Sara for having me as a guest on Books and Things to celebrate the

release of my middle-grade fantasy, Jacob, King of Portalia.

Jacob is a dream of mine.

I’m an incurable romantic and a hopeless dreamer. I love to dream about things that could

never happen, as well as things that theoretically could.

Sometimes I want to lose myself in a world and a people that are beyond all possibility.

Like A Game of Thrones.

And sometimes I want to escape, not so much into an impossible reality, but into a

fantastical and theoretically possible one. A reality that I can wrap my science fiction loving

brain around. Like A Wrinkle in Time.

When I started Jacob, King of Portalia, I knew that that was the kind of story I wanted

to write. I wanted to create a fantastical world that theoretically could exist, not some day in the

future, but in the here and now.

Granted, I don’t expect to visit a parallel universe any time soon. Or carry on a

conversation with a non-human sentient being from another world. But I wanted Jacob’s story to

be one that I can tell myself is not outside the realm of possibility, even if it hovers just this side

of the far reaches of the edge of theoretical possibility.

Jacob is a kid who’s scared of the truth about who he is. He’s been hiding from himself

all of his life. On a world in a parallel universe, he discovers just how much damage his hiding

has done, not just to himself, but to those around him.

He also discovers a hidden talent, an ability to open doorways between universes. Just

as with the rest of the story, it was important to me that Jacob’s talent be at least remotely

theoretically possible.

I have no idea whether or not the concept of the brain emitting electrical waves that can

interact with the environment in the same manner as sound waves is possible. But, like with

parallel universes, I can wrap my brain around it from a science fiction perspective.

Yes, it’s a stretch, but my imagination can stretch to it.

And then I can imagine a colorful world in a parallel universe where dragons and

unicorns exist and a boy can make friends with a brilliant and sarcastic ferret-look-alike and a

many hundred year old humanoid whose eyes sparkle as if they were filled with stars.

But best of all, I can dare to dream, I can dare to imagine a world that could be. A world

where two boys can hold hands and fall in love and nobody thinks twice about it.

Jacob is the first book in the Pillars of Life trilogy. It is the start of a journey, the start of

a dream.

I hope others will come dream with me. Dream with me a dream of things that could be.

Dreams we have the power to make come true. Because I believe that those dreams are the best

dreams of all."



 Here is a blub from her upcoming book Jacob King of Portalia:
 Jacob is the only one who can protect us all from a vengeful lunatic.

But Jacob’s a tiny sixth grader who’s scared of his own shadow. And his only known talent

is hiding.

A misfit in his own home, a boy out of place in his own skin, Jacob has been hiding all his

life—in his head, or behind his only friend.

His kind of different just isn’t accepted.

He thought hiding would keep him safe. But he was wrong.

For Jacob’s hiding has buried more than one truth, more than one secret. Including a

destiny and a duty that are his to fulfill.

And a powerful talent. One that could doom his people.

Or save them...if he can find the courage to stop hiding from the thing that terrifies him the

most—the truth about who he is:

A boy who likes boys.

A boy with a destiny foretold in an ancient legend.

A boy whose love could save us all.


This was a great book that I highly recommend here are links for more information and to purchase.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22670108-jacob-king-of-portalia

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jacob-King-Portalia-Pillars-Life-ebook/dp/
B00LJ4YG8S/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1404663407&sr=1-
1&keywords=jacob%2C+king+of+portalia

Barnes & Noble:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jacob-king-of-portalia-casey-clubb/1119910252?ean=9781620154571

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/jacob-king-of-portalia/id896211588?mt=11

For news and updates on Book Two—Jacob, Portal Master, visit www.caseyclubb.com.

For updates on book two Jacob, Portal Master go to For news and updates on Book Two—Jacob, Portal Master, visit www.caseyclubb.com.

Devoured by Jason Brant

Book bio from GoodReads:
"Life isn’t kind to Lance York. A full-time job has eluded him for years, his wife loathes the sight of him, his bank accounts are empty, and his wealthy father-in-law revels in his failures.

After he lunges in front of a car to save a sick and disoriented woman, Lance awakens in a quarantined hospital. A devastating plague is spreading worldwide, driving those infected with it insane. Their bodies begin to mutate into horrors that have haunted mankind’s nightmares for centuries.

The world descends into chaos as death holds sway in the streets.

With the help of an unlikely ally, Lance must navigate through the collapsing city of Pittsburgh, striving to escape the madness of the Apocalypse that unfolds around them"

 This was a captivating novel about the breakdown of society in the event of a mass epidemic. Well this epidemic makes people eat other people. It transforms them into pretty much vampires. They hate the sun, but no word on garlic and crosses though.

I personally enjoyed that the main "hero" was an every-man. Someone anyone can relate to. He has the struggles that so many people in the world have. Failed relationship, lack of a job, broke classic stresses. All of that however, falls by the wayside when he has to fight for his life.

This is the start of a series, that while fascinating I'm not sure if I'll read. If only because a zombie apocalypse isn't my favorite type of book. It's a very good book don't get me wrong.

Breeder by Ashley Quigley

Ariet lives in a world where your health is everything. You have daily scans, weekly medicals skipping any of them mean that you will face dire consequences. On her way to her last medical before she's of mating age, she gets, well kidnapped. She has a unique gene mutation and because of that she has been selected for the breeding program. Meaning she has even less freedom then before. Her mate has been chosen for her, and any children who look like they won't express the gene will be terminated. Also if she and Mason (her mate) fail to produce a viable offspring they will be terminated. Hows that for pressure?


This was a book that sparked a debate between my boyfriend and I. I took the side of the one, and he took the side of the whole. Basically I took Ariet and Mason's side, and he took the side of the scientists. However after discussing it with him, I've accepted that his point of view is best in this case. In this world the human population has been decimated and given the nature of the gene it's understandable to want the gene to be expressed and developed further. But being as the book is first person you start to feel for Ariet and all that she goes through.

With all of the current advancements in technology something like this happening is actually kind of worrying. With the human genome project we already know some of the genes that are desirable, and some the very much aren't. While we haven't had a human mass extinction, the need to control population may cause us to use gene therapy for this exact reason.

The only downside that I saw was the ending. To me it seemed rush, and seeing as this is a trilogy it really didn't have to be. I will definitely look into reading the other books to see where Ariet and Mason's story takes them next.

The Sorcery Code by Dima Zales and Anna Zaires

Blaise had been part of the elite council of sorcerers until a vote made him forsake his position to live his life in exile. While in exile he starts work on a magical object. Something that will make magic accessible for everyone, even people who don't have the mathematical inclination. When he creates this object it's not what he expects, it is a she. A very beautiful she in fact, whom he names Gala. While he is excited and fascinated by his discovery, his ex-fiance is terrified of his creation. And the other sorcerers want to use her for their own devices. Gala, is her own person and she isn't going to have any of it. She is going to be whatever she wants, no matter what.

This book was really quite good. The story is told from four different perspectives. Blaise, the creator; Gala, the creation; Augusta, Blaise's previous lover; and Barson Augusta's current lover. Each one is an integral part of the story, from the amazement of Blaise over Gala to the terror of Augusta's reaction to her. Gala her self is incredible, she is empathetic, curious and an amazing ideal person.

The world is also incredible. The class system still exists but the ruling class isn't the nobles, its the sorcerers. Each sorcerer has their own holdings, including villages and people who live their. Some like Blaise are benevolent and kind. But others just don't care as their lives are so far removed from their people's.

This is a book that I would highly recomend and I look forward to the next book in the series.