Review: Spirit and Dust (Goodnight Family #2) by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Title: Spirit and Dust

Series: Goodnight Family #2

Previous book in this series: Texas Gothic

Author: Rosemary Clement-Moore

Publication date: May 2013

Published by: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Source: Owned paperback

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Synopsis:

Daisy Goodnight can speak to the dead. It’s not the result of a head injury or some near-death experience. She was just born that way. And she’s really good at it. Good enough to help the police solve the occasional homicide.

But helping the local authorities clear cold cases is one thing. Being whisked out of chemistry class by the FBI and flown to the scene of a murder/kidnapping in Minnesota? That’s the real deal.

Before the promotion can go to Daisy’s head, she’s up to her neck in trouble. The spirits are talking, and they’re terrified. There’s a real living girl in danger. And when Daisy is kidnapped by a crime boss with no scruples about using magic—and Daisy—to get what he wants, it looks like hers is the next soul on the line.

My rating: ★★★★☆
Cousin Daisy is back, and this time in her own book! We saw a bit of her and her awesome ghost-related powers in Texas Gothic, and we a lot more of that in this one!

Review: Texas Gothic (Goodnight Family #1) by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Title: Texas Gothic

Series: Goodnight Family #1

Author: Rosemary Clement-Moore

Publication date: July 2011

Published by: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Source: Owned paperback

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Synopsis:

Amy Goodnight knows that the world isn't as simple as it seems—she grew up surrounded by household spells and benevolent ghosts. But she also understands that "normal" doesn't mix with magic, and she's worked hard to build a wall between the two worlds. Not only to protect any hope of ever having a normal life.

Ranch-sitting for her aunt in Texas should be exactly that. Good old ordinary, uneventful hard work. Only, Amy and her sister, Phin, aren't alone. There's someone in the house with them—and it's not the living, breathing, amazingly hot cowboy from the ranch next door.

It's a ghost, and it's more powerful than the Goodnights and all their protective spells combined. It wants something from Amy, and none of her carefully built defenses can hold it back.

This is the summer when the wall between Amy's worlds is going to come crashing down.

My rating: ★★★★☆
Amy and her older sister Phin are ranch-sitting for one of their aunts. However, they soon find themselves being haunted by a ghost in the house—and it’s not their late Uncle Burt. But not only that, the girls are also thrown into the middle of a potential murder AND a treasure hunt! Believe it or not, all of this is connected, and it was really fun to see how it all fit together.

Review: Dead River by Cyn Balog

Title: Dead River

Author: Cyn Balog

Publication date: April 2013

Published by: Delacorte

Source: Own Hardcover

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Synopsis:

My friends and I are spending prom weekend at a remote wooded cabin on the Dead. The Dead River.

I thought it was going to be just us.

I was wrong.

Nothing is what it seems in this creepy paranormal thriller by Cyn Balog.

My rating: ★★★☆☆
Ki, her boyfriend Justin, her cousin Angela, and Angela’s friend (or whatever) Hugo go to Angela’s cabin for a weekend of rafting on the Dead River. Ki lied to her overprotective father in order to come to this trip. One she didn’t even want to go on in the first place because A.) she wanted to go to prom instead. Justin didn’t want to, preferring to go rafting. And since Angela is also outdoorsy, Ki apparently didn’t have any other choice but to go. Seriously? Just tell him you want to go to prom instead! *sigh*

 And B.) she hates water. You see, her mother committed suicide by walking into the Dead River and drowning. Oh, and every time she is near any body of water she hears voices in her head. And after so many year of quiet, yes, the voices are now back. And seeing the dead is just another added bonus, or minus. Whatever ;)

Review: The Third Twin by C.J. Omololu

Title: The Third Twin

Author: C.J. Omololu

Publication date: February 24th 2015

Published by: Delacorte BFYR

Source: E-ARC from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis:

Identical twins. Identical DNA. Identical suspects. It's Pretty Little Liars meets Revenge in this edge-of-your-seat thriller with a shocking twist.

When they were little, Lexi and her identical twin, Ava, made up a third sister, Alicia. If something broke? Alicia did it. Cookies got eaten? Alicia's guilty. Alicia was always to blame for everything. The game is all grown up now that the girls are seniors. They use Alicia as their cover to go out with boys who are hot but not exactly dating material. Boys they'd never, ever be with in real life.

Now one of the guys Alicia went out with has turned up dead, and Lexi wants to stop the game for good. As coincidences start piling up, Ava insists that if they follow the rules for being Alicia, everything will be fine. But when another boy is killed, the DNA evidence and surveillance photos point to only one suspect: Alicia. The girl who doesn't exist. As she runs from the cops, Lexi has to find the truth before another boy is murdered. Because either Ava is a killer…or Alicia is real.

My rating: ★★★★★
This book was one of my Top 10 Most Anticipated Books of 2015, so you can imagine my excitement wan my request for this book was accepted! And oh my gods was it as good as I expected!

Review: Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Title: Lies Beneath

Series: Lies Beneath #1

Author: Anne Greenwood Brown

Publication date: June 12, 2012

Published by: Random House Children's Book - Delacorte BFYR

Source: the publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis:

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

My rating: ★★★★☆
Quick summary: Calder and his mermaid sisters want revenge for the death of their mother. The man who caused her death will pay...but in order to lure this man to the lake, Calder must get close to one of his daughters. This is strictly for "business," of course, but could Calder be developing genuine feelings for Lily?

Review: Sleepless by Cyn Balog

Title: Sleepless

Author: Cyn Balog

Publication date: July 2010

Published by: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis:

Eron DeMarchelle isn't supposed to feel this connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce his human charges to sleep. Though he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn't encouraged to do so. After all, becoming too involved in one human's life could prevent him from helping others get their needed rest.

But he can't deny that he feels something for Julia, a lonely girl with fiery red hair and sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. In the past, Eron has broken rules to protect Julia, but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can't reach her. Eron's time as a Sandman is coming to a close, and his replacement doesn't seem to care about his charges. Worse, Julia is facing dangers she doesn't recognize, and Eron, as he transitions back to being human, may be the only one who can save her. . . .

Even once they've become human again, Sandmen are forbidden to communicate with their charges. But Eron knows he won't be able to forget Julia. Will he risk everything for a chance to be with the girl he loves?

My rating: ★★★★☆
Eron is a Sandman. Yep, that's right. You know, those supernatural beings who put people to sleep? Pretty cool if you ask me. He was no older than 18 when he died in an accident at the mill where he worked. That was 100 years ago. And now after completing his 100 years as a Sandman, he will have the chance to be human again and finish his "unfinished business." But he has no idea what this "business" is, and his full human transformation is only a few days away. That is, until he starts training his replacement, Griffin, who also happens to be the deceased boyfriend of one of Eron's charges (Julia).