Dec 312014
 

23715657Run

Author: JoLyn Brown

Publisher: Walnut Springs

Published: November 15th, 2014

Paperback: 300 pages

ISBN13: 978159159224

FTC FYI: Received a PDF from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by Mindy

Goodreads Summary

When Supermom joins Dad on his latest project, sixteen-year-old Morgan is left at her aunts. Instead of dating the cute boy from the track team, she will now have to spend the summer keeping a sane distance between herself and her aunts six boys.

Morgan plans on the summer being awful. Encountering an army of spiders and getting lost while running should not surprise her. What she never expects is to stumble across an abandoned house her parents own an abandoned house her uncle committed suicide in. Someone ought to have mentioned that before now.

The past haunts Morgans dreams. The more she remembers and learns, the more she realizes even her cousins are not what she thought they were. Worse, she has somehow become a reflection of her uncle and everything her parents are running from. Morgan wants to hold on to the things she loves running, her cousins, the bits of her family still intact but as the summer passes, she starts to wonder if she s going to lose everything instead.

My Review

JoLyn does a great job of capturing teen-age issues in this book.  But, poor Morgan had quite a few.  Her parents are shipping her off to the small town where her aunt, uncle and crazy cousins live.  Morgan lived there too, when she was younger, but doesn’t remember the sad events that took place before her parents left.  At first Morgan’s attitude about her circumstances make it worse for her, but as time goes on, she realizes how much she needs to be where she’s at.  I really, really liked this book and I found that I didn’t want it to end.  I appreciated where the author went with the story and I loved the relationships that develop.  A tragedy occurred when Morgan was young that she has blocked out, and I loved the journey she takes to help herself and her parents heal.  The characters are strong and the story reads quick and is very well written.  I look forward to more from this author.

4 out of 5 stars.

Author Links

Goodreads / Website / Facebook / Twitter

Purchase Links

Amazon / Deseret Book

Dec 132012
 

inDIVISIBLE

Author: Ryan Hunter

Publisher: self

Published: September 1, 2012

ISBN13: 9781479215409

Genre: YA Dystopian

FTC FYI: I received a review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by Mindy

Goodreads Summary

Brynn Aberdie had everything: a loving family, security and an electronic implant that monitored every move.

Brynn had everything but freedom.

When her father’s life is taken Brynn vows to find that freedom, but it’s a task that puts her life at stake. She’s tagged as a terrorist and put on an Alliance kill list, forcing her to leave her home and become the rebel they already believe her to be.

Brynn learns a lesson many in One United have already learned – by failing to protect they’re rights, Citizens have forfeited their lives with little hope to ever recover their own identities.

My Review

Brynn Aberdie returns home to find security vehicles outside her entry door. Her father has been killed by terrorists. She has many questions and doesn’t know where to get answers. While she is in mourning, she receives a coded message from someone from her past. T finds Brynn and he tells her her life in One United is not what she thinks it is. Her whole life is being watched and recorded.

I really enjoyed reading inDIVISIBLE. The characters were strong and liked the journey the story took. A couple times, though, I thought the pacing could have been faster, with some scenes being cut down a little. However, it did not effect how I felt about the story. Brynn is a great character, who learns a lot about herself during her journey for freedom. I am hoping there is a sequel planned. The ending was exciting, but sad.

4 out of 5 stars. This is Ryan Hunter’s second book.

Author Links

Website / Facebook / Twitter

Purchase Links

Amazon / Barnes and Noble