Between the Spark and the Burn by April Genevieve Tucholke

Series: Between (bk. 2)

Genera(s): Paranormal Romance/Gothic Fantasy

Subjects: winter, supernatural, abilities, horror, mystery, road trips, adventure, travel

Setting: Echo, Maine, then Virginia, North Carolina, and Colorado

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, past tense: Violet White

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 320 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Penguin: Dial

Summary/ product description: “The conclusion to Between the Devil and The Deep Blue Sea, this gothic thriller romance with shades of Stephen King and Daphne du Maurier is a must-read for fans of Beautiful Creatures and Anna Dressed in Blood.

Freddie once told me that the Devil created all the fear in the world.

But then, the Devil once told me that it's easier to forgive someone for scaring you than for making you cry.

The problem with River West Redding was that he'd done both to me.

The crooked-smiling liar River West Redding, who drove into Violet's life one summer day and shook her world to pieces, is gone. Violet and Neely, River's other brother, are left to worry—until they catch a two a.m. radio program about strange events in a distant mountain town. They take off in search of River but are always a step behind, finding instead frenzied towns, witch hunts, and a wind-whipped island with the thrum of something strange and dangerous just under the surface. It isn't long before Violet begins to wonder if Neely, the one Redding brother she thought trustworthy, has been hiding a secret of his own . . .”

My Review:  Between The Spark And The Burn is the sequel to Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea, and the final book in the Between Duology. Similar to the first book, it has a dreamy quality with a lyrical and whimsical writing style. Eve though it’s set in contemporary times, it has gothic undertones. Some of thing that happen or characters do don’t seem like the way things are in real life. Echo, Maine is a small town, and Violet lives at the Citizen Kane mansion, which is at the edge of the ocean.

Her parents are both paintings, and must make money off of their painting because it seems like it’s all they do. They also apparently travel to Europe a lot and leave Violet and her twin brother alone without anyone else. Phone bills don’t get paid and taxes on the mansion are high. Violet’s best friend is named Sunshine and her parents are librarians. You can see what I mean by unrealistic lifestyle here. Also Violet’s obsessed with her dead grandma Freddie’s past.

Despite all the strangeness of these books, I still end up completely enjoying them. Sometime books are to weird for me, mostly because they become confusing and hard to follow. These books are easy to read and you just have to go with the flow. The book never mentions what the Redding boys (River, Neely and Brodie) are, but people call them devil boys. The have this ability they call the glow/spark/burn and they can control, compel and influence people. Mess with people’s minds and get a crazy high off it. Neely doesn’t have this ability like River and Brodie do. Jack, their half-brother, doesn’t appear to have it either. I’d like to assume that their dad was a demon or part-demon, or even a demi-god of some sort. Maybe these boys are incubi or male siren. We never find out, and that’s what disappoints me.

 I absolutely love the creepy atmosphere of these book. The first one was set in summertime, in Maine. This one is set in winter and start out in Echo, Maine, then Virginia, North Carolina, and Colorado, then back to Maine. I love book that have a specific time of year and also books that are about road trips, being on the run or searching across country for something. I like it when there are real places, but fictional places in real states are okay too. There’s this town they go to in Virginia, in the mountains, that’s secluded and old-timey. The people there believe in witches and devils and sacrificing pigs blood to their ancestors. Another town on a North Carolina island has wild horses, much like the Chincoteague in Virginia (Remember that horse called Misty?).  Then in Colorado there’s an old mining town that they stay in a hotel that’s an ex-brothel. Made me think of a Ghost Adventure episode.

Then the romance. Neely and Violet start having feeling for each other and kiss a few times while tracking down River and Brodie. There are less romantic scenes from the first book, but I kind of think I would like Violet and Neely to end up together. Violet may be good for River, but Neely is good for Violet. He doesn’t mess with her or lie to her. Also we get to meet new characters. There’s a boy that Violet and Neely save and a girl they meet in North Carolina. All is not what it seems though in this book. You’ll have to read to find out the great big mystery. I recommend this book to fans of books by Maggie Steifvate, Brenna Yovannoff or Kate Karys Quinn.

Cover Art Review: I love the typography on this cover. The mountain and the winter scenery are also very stark images and eye catching. The first book had a great color two. They’re distinct and similar.

The Vast and Brutal Sea by Zoraida Cordova

Series: The Vicious Deep (bk. 3)

Genera(s): Paranormal Romance/Fantasy Adventure

Subjects: adventure, magic, magical creatures, merfolk, mermaids, mermen, mythology, supernatural,

Setting: Coney Island, New York and in the Atlantic ocean

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, present tense: Tristan Hart

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 317 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $16.99

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Summary/ product description: “This epic clash of sand and sea will pit brother against brother-and there can only be one winner

In two days, the race for the Sea Court throne will be over-but all the rules have changed. The sea witch, Nieve, has kidnapped Layla and is raising an army of mutant sea creatures to overthrow the crown. Kurt, the one person Tristan could depend on in the battle for the Sea King's throne, has betrayed him. Now Kurt wants the throne for himself. Tristan has the Scepter of the Earth, but it's not enough. He'll have to travel to the mysterious, lost Isle of Tears and unleash the magic that first created the king's powerful scepter. It's a brutal race to the finish, and there can only be one winner.”

My Review:  What and interesting and adventurous ending! Tristan and his friends must bring the pieces of Triton’s trident/scepter together and defeat the silver mermaid Nieve. He, Nieve and Kurt are after the throne. Kurt is also being manipulated somewhat and now wants to kill Tristan. Nieve of course want to rule the seas. I had a hard time remembering what happened in the previous books so I was lost for a while.

The first part of the book was really interesting and pretty different from the rest of the series. Tristan arrives at an island where the river tribe lives. He also finds Dylan, Brendan and Kai there. Time move differently there, it’s many days on the island before a day in the real world passes. The river tribes were not merpeople, but could turn into water. The leader was a woman and she was nice to Tristan, but secretive. One girl named Yara helped Tristan. He is given a task to defeat a creature called the Naga and he is given some training. Something happens and when he leaves the island, he has another addition to his group.

Tristan meets with more oracles and searches for answers in unexpected places. His circle of friends and followers grows and he gather’s a sorta-army to fight Nieve and her merrows. He gathers land locked merpeople, vampires, demon and other creatures living in New York City. His shape shifter friend Marty helps too. There’s fun along the way, including underground speed dating (hilarious) and a giant turtle.

This series has been fun and crazy. It may not be my favorite mermaid/merman series, but I really enjoyed the narrator and the humor. I love the mix of paranormal creatures too. There’s a touch of romance between Layla and Tristan. The action, adventure, magic and mythology. I’d definitely recommend the Vicious Deeps series to fans of Percy Jackson and The Olympians and Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown.

Cover Art Review: I love the big crystal scepter. It does look like quartz, but not the usually crystal structure. Way too pointy. The cover work well with the previous books’ covers. 

The Jewel by Amy Ewing

Publication Date: September 2^nd, 2014

Series: The Lone City (bk. 1)

Genera(s): Dystopian Fantasy/Sci-fi/Romance

Subjects: royalty, classes, pregnancy, surrogates, slavery, abilities, love

Setting: The Lone City, and the middle sector of the city, The Jewel

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, present tense: Violet Lasting

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 358 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen

Summary/ product description: “The Jewel means wealth. The Jewel means beauty. The Jewel means royalty. But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude. Not just any kind of servitude. Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty—because in the Jewel the only thing more important than opulence is offspring.

Purchased at the surrogacy auction by the Duchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face, Violet (now known only as #197) quickly learns of the brutal truths that lie beneath the Jewel’s glittering facade: the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her existence... and try to stay alive. But then a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and a handsome gentleman hired as a companion to the Duchess’s petulant niece. Though his presence makes life in the Jewel a bit brighter, the consequences of their illicit relationship will cost them both more than they bargained for.”

My Review: I really enjoyed the uniqueness of The Jewel. It’s set on an island know as The Lone City, made up of 5 circles, the outermost being The Marsh, where Violet is from, the The Farm, The Smoke, The Bank and in the center lies The Jewel, where the royals live. I get sick of reading dystopian books that are about a bad government or natural disaster (but I loved a lot of those book too). I love that this dystopian world is also a fantasy one. We never find out if this is supposed to be set 100s of year in the future, so even with the technology is feel like a fantasy.

Violet has special abilities called auguries, and this makes her a surrogate. Violet’s an interesting main character. She plays the cello and has purple eyes. She’s stubborn and smart and sometimes overly emotional or dramatic. She is auctioned off to the royals because they cannot have their own children. Know now as Lot 197, Violet await her fate. Violet was prepped before the auction by a guy who’s a Lady-In-Waiting (servant) named Lucien. The Duchess of The Lake wins Violet and has high hopes for the child Violet’s abilities could help create.

Violet gets her own Lady-In-Waiting, Annabelle, who’s mute and younger than Violet. Violet’s best friend Raven was bought by another house and Violet worries about her. Violet meets a guy named Ash Lockwood, who’s a companion for the Duchess’s niece, but romance blooms between him and Violet. Without spoiling the plot of the book, that I all I can tell you.

I love how every one in the Jewel is named after a mineral or gemstone. I collect rocks and minerals, so I was familiar with what the name were. Everyone knows what Pearls, Garnet and Sapphires are. 

Garnet, in case you are unfamiliar. There's many types including Almandine (below), Grossular, Pyrope, and Spessartine.

Carnelian is a red, translucent quartz, similar to Jasper. 

Amentrine is a mix of Amethyst and Citrine. 

Alexandrite is a dual colored Chrysoberyl (pink & teal usually, and really pricy). 

Larimar is a sky blue mineral and expensive, but currently popular (I have a specimen). 

Iolite is an indigo mineral that looks gray from another direction. It's often mistaken for Tanzanite.

I give this book five stars because I enjoyed it so much, and I recommend to people who like YA Dystopias and Fantasy. Fans of The Selection by Kiera Cass, Crewel by Gennifer Albin, Divergent by Veronica Roth, Bumped by Megan McCafferty, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski, Defiance by C.J. Redwine and Incarnate will love this new Dystopian-Fantasy series.

Cover Art Review: I love this cover. The photo is probably by the same person who did the cover for The Selection series. That dress is so beautiful. The mirror effect makes a crystal and I love that. The typography suggest that they were trying to gear this toward fans of The Selection. Same designer, likely.

Extra! Read a Deleted Scene from The Jewel on the EpicReads blog!!! Click to Read!