Chris Seabranch’s series Chronicles of the Twenty-One Butterflies is off to a great start with this book. The Twenty-One Butterflies are a group of female pirates who have escaped an often brutal life to survive on their own with their pirate sisters.

One of my favorite passages in the story is “Every female pirate was once a scared little girl fleeing from something. However, even small girls can become death on the horizon and make grown men tremble in fear.” They are also one of the toughest band of pirates in the Gallows Sound cluster of islands and the local government (comprised of men) are not happy about it.

Casey, is one of those scared little girls who is fleeing the cruelty of her step-father, the selfish machinations of the Governor and the brutality of his son who is scheduled to marry her despite her and her mother’s protests. Casey escapes her wedding, with the help of her mother, who sends her off with the admonition to find the Twenty-One Butterflies.

While fleeing the men who are hunting her, Casey stumbles upon a retired member of the group who agrees to take her to their headquarters on Butterfly Island. There 15-year old Casey is left alone to brave the dangers of the island and gain acceptance into the group. Becoming a Butterfly is not an easy task and Casey must prove herself to these band of pirates or be left to die on the island.  She eventually befriends a few of the younger members of the group and works hard to prove that she belongs. Just as she begins to gain traction — everything goes wrong.

I really enjoyed this book because it was grounded in reality (sans the pirates, killer moths and zombie ladies). The setbacks that Casey experiences are they type that any teenage girl can find herself in — love and breakup, making new friends (or not), exploring who she is as a person and redefining her image of herself. The choices that she makes, as with all of our choices, sometimes have unexpected perks and sorrows, but all of these bumps and bruises shape who we become as an adult.

When I began reading the book, I thought that this was going to go along the lines of teenage lost love/angst (Casey was engaged to a young man named Jack before her stepfather came into the picture) but I’m happy to say that it didn’t. Jack and Casey do meet up again in the book, but the once simple answers no longer apply and their earlier relationship is reevaluated. We don’t know how things will end up since we have four more books to go, but their reunion scenes felt genuine and realistic.

I really enjoyed Chris Seabranch’s story and look forward to following up with Casey and her crew in their next adventure Maelstrom. Butterfly Island is available on Kindle for free, so there’s no time like the present to delve into the Butterfly universe. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the ride!

Visual perception, eye and hand coordination and memory skills are just a few of the skills which is tapped into while playing this game.

I like that the game can be played as a group or alone. Testing your memory and spatial skills against the slides is fun, and since I’m the worse player — an excellent way to gain greater skill while the kids aren’t paying attention.

When it comes to group play there are a variety of challenge levels so each doodle feels unique. When my family played the game we did a blind draw which kept it fresh and everyone on their toes. At times, we do some slides with a timer to see just how good we (they) really are.

Unlike many games, there was nothing to dislike about the product. The instructions were simple, no batteries needed (always a plus these days!) and it encourages creativity. It was age appropriate, fun and the materials help up well under continued usage.

I did have one concern, which was that there doesn’t seem to be anyway to get upgrade packets for the doodle slides. I guess we could make our own, but it would be great to add more challenges as we get more proficient with syncing our memories of the spatial information with the reality of the slides.

I think it’s a great addition to the family’s gaming endeavors, as well as a great tool for the “There’s Nothing to Do” Blues.

Technorati Tags: family board games

The Watchers is an exciting new series written by Deidra Eden. The first book – Knight of Light – is a great lead-in for the rest of the six book series. It was a quick but engaging read that I really enjoyed. I was shocked when I came to the end of this installment — where were the rest of the page?? Yes, I was that engrossed in the story. I finished the book the same day I received it.

The book is set in England in 1270 A.D. where we meet the heroine, a young lady named Auriella. (You can see the trailer here.) The story is a quick starter — crisis and flight which later leads us to many unexpected places while Auriella struggles to learn and accept her identity. Her struggles are very easy to relate to since we have all gone through that period of questioning that is a primary component of  adolescence. Auriella has some unique challenges, but the feelings still correlate.

I really enjoyed the by play of Auriella’s companions: a dwarf named Rupert, and a pixie named Cassi. It seems that pixies and fairies aren’t on friendly terms with the dwarves, but Cassi doesn’t care. She spends much of the story pestering poor Rupert, who despite all of his grumblings develops a warm relationship with Cassi.  They become the family that Auriella didn’t have and are stalwart companions on her journey.

As a YA book, of course there is a romance, but I really liked how the author handled it. It was age appropriate for Auriella and her noble suitor. And it was very sweet with a refreshing innocence lacking in many YA romance books. Speaking of which, in general the book is very tastefully done even during the suspenseful portions. The lack of gore is very appreciated by this reader. This book is recommended for the 9-12 year old readership, but I think teens will also enjoy it.

So, overall, this book was a five star experience that I recommend to anyone looking for some wholesome excitement. I can’t wait to get my hands on Book Two!

Enjoy!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through the Tomoson blogging program in exchange for my honest review, which I have given.*

The story of The Rainbow Egg is a children’s book that explains the adoption process. The author did a great job of explaining that the mother chicken, named Hope, wanted the best for her chick. In this case, the best life for her chick was for the baby chick to live with a family who was established and would love the chick. The illustrations are amusing and eye-catching and my son enjoyed the story. 

Although my son liked the book, I wasn’t as enthralled. There were a couple of things that bothered me. The main thing that disturbed me was that the way the Hope  was portrayed. I walked away from the story feeling that the young mother was pretty self-centered and was more concerned with getting back to her friends in the woods.

The rainbow egg seemed more of a burden that Hope wanted to dispense with rather than a child whom she wanted the best for in their lives. Of course there are some mothers who may have felt that way, but many wanted to keep their children and struggled to do so before resigning themselves to the need to find them a more stable home environment.

But since my eight-year old received her overall message without a problem so I’m probably just complicating the details in the story. Overall, the story would best be suited for younger children (8 and below). I reviewed the kindle version of the book, and although it translated well, I think that children would prefer the hard copy version better. The illustrations are beautiful and a real book lends itself to more exploration than the kindle version.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Vannetta Chapman is the author of Murder Simply Brewed and Murder Tightly Knit and now this gem, Murder Freshly Baked. Hannah, a young and capable Amish woman, once again teams up with Amber to solve the mysterious goings on at The Amish Artisan Village in Middlebury, Indiana.

In this installment of the series, there is a poison-pen writer who uses their poetry to warn of poisoned baked goods. Are these warnings a true threat to the village or is there something else going on in this normally peaceful town?

As always, I enjoyed this mystery immensely. Ms. Chapman weaves an engrossing mystery that makes you work to discover the culprit. Murder Freshly Baked proved to be the same. There were so many things going on — the weddings, the poisoned pen letters, Ryan the philander and more. The poison pen writer’s motives are unclear for much of the story.  The writer of the threatening letters definitely has something against Amber, but it takes a while to piece everything together and discover what is really going on.

I enjoy the side stories of the supporting characters as well.  In this book, we learn more about the power of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and how it affects Preston, a formerly homeless member of the community after returning from service overseas. He’s found a wonderful woman that he’d like to spend his life with, but because of his frequent night terrors and slipping into the horrors of war, he is afraid to move forward with his life.

My heart was truly touched by the portrayal of Preston and the different ways that his friends worked to support and encourage him to use a service dog to help him cope with his trauma.  I have read about the syndrome, but don’t personally know anyone who suffers from it. Ms. Chapman’s portrayal of Preston really helped me to emphasize with those who have it. And that is one of the reasons that I love her books — her characters become real people for me and their struggles feel authentic.

I’m sure that this will come as a big surprise, but I absolutely loved the book and recommend it without reservation. A 5 star out of 5 for me.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I received the Super Genius collection so my review is an overview of the entire collection. There were three reading levels as well as addition and subtraction.

The First Words reading cards focus on single short-vowel words. Level One steps up the reading level quite a bit by adding in words with blends (e.g., sh, ck, etc.) and long vowel words. Level Two reading cards focuses on the seemingly irregular words such as night, school, picture, etc.

The math cards focused on multiplication tables from 2 to 5. The addition cards focus was on math facts from 1 to 20.

The game allows the child/parent to work cooperatively as well as in competition. I really like the way that there are multiple matches for each card. My son has a reading disability and gets frustrated when we’re working with words.

The fact that he could find the word in question on different cards  made it easier for him and he began to relax. And the more he relaxed the better he did. I chose the cooperative games with him because it takes him longer to sound out the words, but my older children enjoyed the speed sessions with both the math and reading. It’s a great product to encourage retention and confidence.

I do have one word of caution. Children with auditory processing issues (like my son) still need a comprehensive language program such as “The Logic of English” to teach them the rules that they need to excel with their reading and spelling. These reading cards are great ways to reinforce the words that you’re working on and make reading fun.The math cards were fine — great ways to reinforce math facts for kids.

Overall I think that these flash card/learning game can be a great asset to young learners. The cards are bright and fun to look at. And although there are lots of things to choose from, it’s very easy to find the target words and numbers. I plan to put these cards through their paces as my son continues his journey to being an independent reader. The math cards are also wonderful reinforcement tools for those early math facts. Great idea and products.

– See more at: http://academicschoice.com/review/index.php#sthash.Fq6XUN37.dpuf

Technorati Tags: card games for learning., homeschooling, math games, reading games

I love, love, love The Case of the Sin City Sister by Lynne Hinton. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I agreed to review this book for BookLook Bloggers but I am glad that I took the chance. This is the second book in the series, the first being Sister Eve, Private Eye (which I will begin as soon as I finish this review!)

Sister Evangeline is a nun who is having a crisis regarding her vocation.While her father was recuperating from his illness she was able to solve a few cases and felt strong satisfaction in helping her clients. Upon returning to her convent after caring for her ailing father, she realizes that she is feeling restless and discontent. Is the monastic life really the right life for her?

In order to sort out her feelings, Father Oliver urges her to take time away from the convent to find the answers that she seeks. He also admonishes her that whatever conclusion that she arrives at will be the right one for her — there is no judgment surrounding staying or leaving the convent. So, reluctantly taking his advice, Sister Evangeline returns to assist her father in his work as a private detective with the hope of figuring out what direction her life should take.

Evangeline  (Eve) is lead into Sin City (also known as Las Vegas) by the mysterious disappearance of her sister Dorisanne. While the two have not been particularly close in years due to distance and lifestyle choices, they do keep in touch fairly regularly. So when Eve can no longer get in contact with her all kinds of red flags rise for her. Although her father, the Captain, originally believes that she is being dramatic, he soon realizes that something is amiss. With the help of her friend Daniel (the Captain’s former police partner) she sets out to Las Vegas to find her baby sister. The game is afoot!

I really like Eve because she is  complex, like a real person. Being able to create a flesh-and-blood character from one’s thoughts isn’t easy and this author did an outstanding job. Her confusion of whether to remain a nun or pursue a life as a private detective was very real and easy for me to empathize with because I know that I have often struggled with, for example, what was right for me at 20 but as the years roll on, may no longer be the right path at 30+ (the age of this character). Life is always changing, and we all need to do soul-searching at one time or another.

In addition to this, the mystery and its resolution were  both credible and enjoyable. There are a few life lessons contained within the journey to find the truth, but it never executed in a heavy-handed fashion.  I highly recommend this book to others. I fervently hope that we will be invited back to Sister Evangeline’s world very soon.

 Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Technorati Tags: Divine Private Detective Agency, Lynne Hinton, mystery, Sister Eve

I really, really tried to like Prison.  I don’t enjoy writing bad reviews, and if I wasn’t a BookLook Blogger, I would have skipped doing one all together. Alas, fate has decreed otherwise so here goes.

Book Description from the Publisher – Sonja Grey, a narcotics detective, and her nemesis, Max Trent, are handpicked to go undercover to capture a thug—Johnny Stone, aka Rock—who’s dealing drugs at Sonja’s church. Their operation is unwittingly aided by the interference of Sonja’s eccentric aunties. For Max, this assignment has two objectives: get their villain and capture Sonja’s heart. Will Sonja break free of the shackles of her past and embrace Max’s love, or will they be destroyed by danger?

Okay, I’m not a big romance book person, but since there was a mystery/thriller element involved I thought that I would be okay. I even maintained hope though the first half of the book, but in the end of I was aggravated and disappointed.

The author, Toni V. Lee, spent a lot of time in the heads of Sonja Grey and Max Trent and it was annoying. If I had to read one more time about the physical attributes of Max and “why does he have to look so good?” I was going to scream. Max’s inner dialogue was less objectionable, but come on how much time do we need to know what he’s thinking? He loves Sonja, he doesn’t want to dishonor her, but wants her to see him as a person and not as a stereotype. Got it, can we move on now?

One thing I did like was the title. Throughout the book, the author showed us the many ways that we imprison ourselves, whether in a misguided attempt to “get what we deserve” or to protect a tender heart. The shackles that we place upon ourselves, or allow others to place upon us, can have devastating repercussions for ourselves and others. The theme came through loud and clear for me and I appreciate the importance of remembering that.

Overall, I struggled to finish this book and didn’t enjoy it very much at all.

Technorati Tags: Prison, Toni V. Lee

A Lethal Beauty is the third installment of Lis Wiehl’s Mia Quinn series. To recap, Mia is a suddenly single mom whose husband died in a car crash. In order to care for her family she returns to the hectic career of being a prosecuting attorney. Mia struggles with the demands of her job and the needs of her children throughout the series. But what I like about Mia Quinn is that she’s very real — there’s no moralizing or ridiculous/over the top solutions to her cases or her domestic life.  She gets both jobs done through sheer determination, wit and good friends and family.

In this story, Mia begins with a murder case that leads Mia into the shadowy world of modern day slavery in America. On the home front Mia’s son, Gabe, explores the world of steroids and what it means to be a man into today’s society. The author does an excellent job of casting light on these difficult subjects without being mawkish. The characters are well defined and their motivations are just as muddled as ours. These are people to whom I can relate to on different levels.

After reading this third installment I realized that Mia’s husband has been along for the ride yet again. In this case his offer to help one of the modern-day slaves is what leads Mia into unravelling both the murder and the slavers.  Her husband is also a factor in Gabe’s desire to grow up faster and become a strapping man. This serves as a reminder to be mindful that we unconsciously impact others lives as we go about our daily lives and I hope that my interactions are more positive than negative.

Oh and to answer one of the discussion questions in the back of the book “Who do you think Mi should end up with? Charlie? Eli? or Neither?” I vote for Charlie. I think that he is a good and solid guy. He has already proven multiple times that he has what it takes to help Gabe become a good man. Throughout the series he has proven to have Mia’s back, he understands her job and its demands so that won’t be an issue.

I look forward to stepping into Mia’s world again in her next book. Write faster Lis!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through the BookLook blogging program in exchange for my honest review, which I have given.**

Palace of Darkness by Tracy Higley lives up to all of her previous novels. I received this book a few days before my mother ended her earthly journey, so it was kind of a bittersweet read for me. This is a story of a mother’s love, a love so deep that Cassia risks everything in order to protect her son, Alexander, from the many dangers that surround him in the strange land of Petra. It is also a story of a devout man, Julian, who has lost his way due to grief and self-recrimination. He too ends up in Petra and discovers that God works in many unexpected ways.

As a mom, I found Cassia to be very easy to empathize with — she seeks a better life for her son than the one provided by his father, Aretas, an abusive thief. Upon the father’s unexpected death Cassia must find a safe haven for her son. She returns to Areta’s land of Petra to discover that she has literally jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. With her son’s life on the line she uses everything at her disposal to save her son including associating with the hated new sect of Christians. As an unbeliever she does not understand all that she sees, but nevertheless draws strength from the group to do what has to be done. Julian is another story. He became a believer while in Rome albeit a secret believer. His betrothed was caught during one of Trajan’s sweep to rid the empire of the Christians and died in the arena, eaten by lions. Julian exiles himself from Rome hoping that distance will dampen his guilt and make him forget about The Way. Instead he finds himself ensnared into Cassia’s desperate fight to free her son which ultimately leads him back to the Christian fold and forgiveness. The book was well written and poignant for me. Of course everything turns out for the best, but just as in real life there are pivotal moments of indecision, fear and reevaluation of what we truly believe and where we stand in our walk with God.  I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I received this book from BookLookBloggers.com as a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion of the subject matter. No other compensation was offered or requested.

Technorati Tags: book review, Christian fiction, Palace of Darkness, Tracey Higley