Balance of the 12 by Ania REVIEW

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Summary:

The universe was created by twelve energies which turned into the 12 races on earth. Eleven of these races live in secret among mankind, coexisting in precarious harmony and dependent on the Balance between them to keep the universe alive. If one race falls, the universe falls.
With war at the door, a domino effect of events is about to begin that could bring about universal annihilation. Only Jane, a Reader, and Samuel, a human, have the power to save the threatened races and protect the Balance. Unsure of each other and what lies ahead, they have one chance to learn about the true nature of the 12 races. But what they uncover reveals more than they ever believed possible.
Brought together by the Balance, Jane and Samuel must choose to follow the legacy left to them, or watch as the 12 races erupt in a war that will destroy them all.

My Thoughts:

The Book Itself:

I went into this not knowing what to expect other than what the summary provided. At first it was a bit slow going, but then it picked up and I just couldn't put it down. While the summary only mentions Jane and Samuel, who are technically the main characters, most of the book is set in the past. Jane and Samuel are shown through the past what they have to do and who they can trust. In the past, the story revolves around Shasta and Dwade, a Reader and a human as well, who are going through a similar crisis: they have to retrieve a Creator who is pregnant with a baby that will restart the human race if they go instinct. However, it is revealed that the Chancellor they trusted and a travel companion they relied on, were corrupted and wanted to use the child as a pawn in their war. The story seemingly ends fine, with Jane and Samuel coming back to reality and being sent off to complete their quest, trusting no on but each other.
I really liked the development of Shasta and Dwade's characters, although I would love to know more about Shasta's past with Han and the backstory of Violen. I would also love to know more about Jade and Samuel, who are barely in the book at all.
Hopefully there will be a sequel or novella released later to clear up questions and tie up loose ends.
I hope this book does well, because I really enjoyed it.

The Packaging:

I don't know if what I got was just for early reviewers or for everyone once the book is officially released, but it came with a lot of stuff. It was in a nice, decorated box that contained the book, an embroidered bag to hold the book, a letter from the author, a necklace and candle with a symbol from the book on it, and a horse figure thing. Everything was really well put together and it arrived in perfect condition.

My Rating: 5 stars

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco REVIEW

Summary:

Groomed to be the perfect highborn Victorian young lady, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has a decidedly different plan for herself. After the loss of her beloved mother, she is determined to understand the nature of death and its workings. Trading in her embroidery needle for an autopsy scalpel, Audrey secretly apprentices in forensics. She soon gets drawn into the investigation of serial killer Jack the Ripper, but to her horror, the search for clues brings her far closer to her sheltered world than she ever thought possible.

My Thoughts:

I was waiting quite a while to read this, but I'm glad I picked it up. I have a weird fascination for literature that has to do with Jack the Ripper.
I instantly fell in love with Audrey. She doesn't want to be a gossiping housewife, she wants to be a scientist. (if I wasn't so bad at science, I would want to go into forensics too).
I originally thought that Thomas would turn out to be Jack, but it ended up being (spoilers) her brother trying to successfully perform a transplant and attempt to bring their mother back to life. I briefly suspected the father, but I thought it would be too much of a cliche for it to be him.
I hope that in the sequels we get to know Thomas and Audrey's father better. In the meantime, I have another fantastic book to add to my concerningly growing stack of books about serial killers.

My Rating: 5 stars

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han REVIEW

Sequel to All the Boys I've Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You

Summary:

Lara Jean is having the best senior year. And there's still so much to look forward to: a class trip to New York City, prom with her boyfriend Peter, Beach Week after graduation, and her dad's wedding to Ms. Rothschild. Then she'll be off to college with Peter, at a school close enough for her to come home and bake chocolate chip cookies on the weekends.
Life couldn't be more perfect!
At least, that's what Lara Jean thinks...until she gets some unexpected news.
Now the girl who dreads change mus rethink all her plans--but when your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

My Thoughts:

While (in my opinion) unneeded, it was a nice wrap up to Lara Jean's story. It was also well written (as usual when written by Jenny Han).
Lara Jean gets unexpected news when she's not accepted into UVA but is accepted to UNC later on. Which makes almost no sense? She gets into a highly respected college but not the local one?
She and Peter nearly break up because his mom wants him to not give up his dreams for her. There's nothing worse than a parent that doesn't want her son to keep dating you just because he might give up the things he wants for you. That doesn't even happen! Turns out, Peter was only considering it and wasn't likely to do it!
Anyway, this book was surprisingly hard to put down.
I'd definitely recommend this trilogy to anyone who isn't normally a fan of romance novels.

My Rating: 4 stars

Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart REVIEW

Summary:

When Constance Kopp and her sisters suffer a run-in with a ruthless, powerful crook, Constance leaves her quiet country life to team up with the local sheriff and exact justice. As a war of bricks, bullets, and threats ensues, Constance realizes that this raacketeer's history may be more damning than she thought, but now that she's on the case, he won't get away.

My Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It starts out with humor before the Kopp sisters are run into by a car driven by Mr. Kaufman, a wealthy man in charge of a company who cares nothing for his workers or the people around him. Constance goes after him, at first just for the money he owes her sisters from the damage, but when he starts sending threatening letters and shooting into their windows, she goes to the police for help. In the midst of all this, she somehow is able to help another victim of Kaufman--one of his employees who was raped by him and got her child sent away. Constance goes to several orphanages around town to find the girl's son. At the end of the book, it seems like Kaufman was sent to jail, but it wasn't really clear on that. And there's a sequel that I can't wait to read!
I would definitely recommend giving this book a try. It is a historical fiction novel based on the adventures of a real person.

My Rating: 5 stars

Mimadamos: The Eden of Choice by Chadi B. Ghaith REVIEW

Summary/Description:

Did the ending precede the beginning? Are we only here on earth to comprehend its machinations? Is there room for choice to shape our destiny in the wake of fate and its brutal logic? Mimadamos is a unique, philosophically rich fantasy which journeys through the depths of conflict and harmony that we understand as the spirit. It decodes the magic of the most ancient scripts known to man, the symbolic fall from Eden and the long anticipated armageddon, revealing a logic so unique that it brings history to its conclusive end.

My Thoughts:

This was a very interesting read. It did take me a lot longer to finish than most books because it is very philosophical and deep.
In the beginning, Destiny is marrying Fate. She travels with him back to his home. When she gets pregnant, she goes back home because of a tradition of her people to be cared for by her family. But no one is there. She ends up having and raising the child, Choice, alone. What I never understood about this was why didn't she go back to Fate? There wasn't really a reason for her to stay there.
Choice eventually leaves Destiny to explore outside his home, unknowingly led into the enemy's territory by someone he thought he could trust. He ends up meeting Hope, and they become friends and sort of allies against the enemy. Time and Space are threatened into helping the enemy get into Destiny's brain and hack into her thoughts. They don't seem to want to, but they do it anyway (I can sort of understand that). What I don't understand is why they obey the enemy when they are summoned? They could just not show up?
I also did not really understand the thing with Choice eating the apple? He did not become evil afterwards, so was it just a reference to the Fall?
Everything works out in the end though, Destiny is reunited with Fate and Choice and the enemy loses his followers when they find out the truth about him.
I found this book very intriguing. I would definitely recommend trying out this book if you are a fan of philosophical narratives or religious themes.

My Rating: 4 stars

You can learn more about this book and the author here

**I was provided a free copy of this book for my honest review