Be careful what you wish for!

Josephina Espinosa is a hacker, who lives in the Lone Star Republic, which is a remnant of the fractured USA. One day, she and her friend are working on a difficult job, when a government raid finds and attacks them. Meantime she gets shot, Jo remembers an old tale from her grandmother, about summoning a wish-granter and she tries it with her last breath. To save her friend's life. The result is shocking. When she wakes up, Jo is in an unfamiliar room, in a strange house. Soon it turns out, that she is not alone, when a boy approaches. Wayne explains the girl, that she is now in a different reality and became a wish-granter, thanks to her wish. Because everything has a price, and in Jo's case, it was her existence. Wayne tells her about the Society of Wishes and introduces Jo to the seven other members. The mansion of the Society is beautiful, full with everything the inhabitants need, but Jo is missing freedom and it is not that easy for her to get use suddenly being erased from her world.  Things get just worse after she realizes, that her friend, who she saved, is just going down the same path, making Jo's sacrifice useless. Meantime the others are working on granting a new wish, Jo decides to protect her friend again, however she forgets, that everything she does have consequences.

The main plot made me curious, it was unique and interesting. At first sight I thought, this book has a really good potential. But sadly it just could not deliver it for me. I felt the characters stereotypical and their relationships to each other were also quite predictable. As I said, even that I really liked the main story idea of The Society Of Wishes, but the more and more further I got in the book, it just became bland and boring, also a little slow.

Shortly, Elise Kova's Society of Wishes' basic concept is very interesting for me and unique, but the book itself just could not became that good. The characters are stereorypical and the story is slow and became boring after a time. There are surely people, who will love Society Of Wishes, but I lost interest in it after reading it once.



ISBN number:
ISBN-13: 9781619848849
ISBN-10: 1619848848

A reform school for magical beings.

Sophie Mercer is sixteen and a witch. When she sees a girl crying, because of having no date for prom, she wants to help her. However Sophie forgets that she has problem with controlling her powers and she is exposed as a witch. Since this was not the first time, that such accident happened, the Council sends her away to a special school, for cases like her. Hecate Hall, or Hex Hall, as the students nicknamed it, is to reform wayward supernatural beings. After her arrival, Sophie immediately gets into trouble and she knows, that her life will not be boring in her new school. She starts developing a crush on Archer Cross, who is not just handsome, but Elodie, one of the black witches from the coven Sophie not joined,  already claimed him. And her new roommate is the outcast of the school, Jenna. The girl is the only vampire in Hex Hall and soon they became friends. Meantime this, someone attacks a student, who's wounds are like a vampire bite. Of course, this makes Jenna the prime suspect, what Sophie just can't believe. But if it was not Jenna, who was it?

A school for magical beings. Maybe the idea is already often used, but I can never get bored on it. Hex Hall also made me curious because of this. I really like the atmosphere of the book, a transfer student in a new school, where mysterious things start to happen. Magic, secrets and witches. The characters are also good, Jenna and Sophie are my favourites. The story kept me wanting to read more and more and the twists were also surprising. Even that the book has its cliches, it is fun to read and I am curious at the continuation.

To sum it, I really enjoyed Hex Hall. An interesting plot with a boarding school for magical beings, adventure and a little mystery, it is a great mix for me. I can recommend the novel to everyone, who likes young adult books.


ISBN number:
ISBN-13: 9781423121305
ISBN-10: 1423121309

Kristen, Abbey's best friend vanished. Even after the funeral, Abbey just can't accept the death of the other girl. There are so many unanswered questions and whys. Her life feels to collapse, and school makes it harder, with the students' fake sympathy and gossip. Abbey used to spend a lot of time in Sleep Hollow Cemetery, but this increases now. One day she meets with a mysterious and handsome boy. Little by little, it seems, that Abbey's life will go back to normal, even she starts to like Caspian more and more. But she still doesn't understand what happened to Kristen and one day, she finds a clue. A secret, which makes her question her whole  friendsip with Kristen. And Abbey starts to investigate again. But does she really want to know the truth? The answers she uncovers frighten and shock her, however she can not go back, she has to keep searching.

Maybe I was not in the right mood, when I read this trilogy, but for me, it was like sitting on the rollercoaster. And sadly in a bad way. No matter how interesting the main plot was, the books proceeded too slowly for me and like this, they became boring after a time. Every time the story was interesting and I became curious, it quickly slipped back to another, boring scene. Also, for me, there were too many parts, which not felt that important and just put me back to the bored-mood, if instead of these there would have been more about Kristen, or Caspian's secret, it would have been better. The things I liked, the way the Sleepy Hollow legend is put into the novels and how everything connects. Also, the ending was good, I not guessed it.

Shortly, The Hollow trilogy is definitely not for me. Even that the basic plot is good, and the novels have interesting parts and surprises, things happened too slow and the story wandered away too often to less important scenes, just when you became curious.


ISBN number:
The Hollow:
ISBN-13: 9781416978947
ISBN-10: 1416978941
The Haunted:
ISBN-13: 9781416978961
ISBN-10: 1416978968
The Hidden:
ISBN-13: 9781416978985
ISBN-10: 1416978984

A young countess runs away from home, to discover a new life and the New World.

Being a countess is awesome. The glamorous life of the rich and blue-blooded, being surrounded with servants, who just wait you to tell what you wish. On surface. Our heroine knows this well, because her family, having no money, wants to arrange a marriage for her. She is just trying to figure out something, when her maid tells her an interesting story. The girl, Adelaide, was chosen to attend a special school, which will change her life fully. The Glittering Court is a mix of school and business. It collects impoverished girls, to transform them to upper-class ladies. After finishing the course, the new ladies go to the New World, where the rich pioneers choose a wife from them. It is good for everybody, the wealthy men of the New World, the owners of Glittering Court and a big luck for the poor girls. But Adelaide seems to be scared and have doubts. The young countess decides fast and uses the opportunity. Soon, a cart is on the way to the Glittering Court, with Adelaide. Or better to say, the new Adelaide, who is the young countess... Only Cedric, the son of the school's headmaster, knows the secret about the girl's real identity, but he promises to not tell it to anybody. Soon Adelaide can have a fully new life in the New World and her family can not force her to marry.

When I first read the main plot of the book, it made me curious and after actually starting the story, I was not disappointed. It is entertaining, with good characters. Even that more things were easy to guess, the novel was not boring, but it kept you wanting to know more. I especially liked Adelaide's character, who was strong and fearless in my eyes, to change her well-known world to a fully new an unknown one and yet she never hesitated nor for a second. Her friends, like Mira, also kept me curious, what are their secrets. I hope, in the next book we will know more about them.

Shortly, The Glittering Court was a good novel, which I enjoyed to read. The story was entertaining and balanced, the  romance and adventure was just the right amount, without becoming boring. For a peaceful and quiet weekend, it is a great choice to read.


ISBN number:
ISBN-13: 9781595148421
ISBN-10: 1595148426

A town with secrets, a house filled with mirrors, and a girl, who just moved there.

Gemma and her family just moved to Learmouth, into the house on the hill. The old style building has a strange atmosphere and to make it creepier, it is full with mirrors. The girl hates it at first sight. But not she is the only one. Her mother's partner, Jules, also feels the same, and Gemma's younger brother, Danny too. However Heather, Danny's twin sister is happy, she even has a new friend, Elsa, and she always tries to talk over Danny to play with the two of them. Meantime Hearher loves their new home, Danny not just finds it creepy, but strange and scary things happen to him sometimes and he doesn't trust nor his twin's mysterious friend. Even after she makes new friends, the strange atmosphere of the house still chills Gemma. What she doesn't know, soon she will learn the secrets of her new home.

Hawthorn really surprised me, and in a good way. When I read the main plot, I became curious, but I had my doubts, since so many books have good plot, and when you start reading them, they just disappoint you. Well, this novel is definitely not one of those. The characters are good and the story is interesting, you can not put down the book. And the atmosphere! Last time I was afraid on a book, when I read The Shining in high school, but I did not dare to read Hawthorn during night and looked much less into mirrors. The novel is a great mix of mystery and horror for me, adding always the perfect amount of tension and creepiness to the story. It just makes it better, that it uses different POVs, it is interesting to see with things from not just one character's viewpoint and it boosts the reading experience.

Shortly, I really loved the book and I recommend it to everyone, mostly to young adult and horror fans. The story and characters are interesting and the novel has a creepy and mysterious atmosphere, which makes sure, that even at the scary parts, you just have to keep reading it. I hope that Hawthorn will have a continuation.

ISBN number:
ISBN-13: 9781511411257
ISBN-10: 1511411252

But who will save Prince Charming? Join Paul, a cursed prince, a singing sword and their other teammates, to save the world. And of course the princess.

Paul is not your tipical Prince Charming. Thanks to his father, king Hofnar, he is cursed, with insecurity. And with quite a lot from it. After he is dragged to the tournament, where the future heroes hope to get a chance for a happily ever after, at his unluck, he gets The  Quest. A quest, which is the dream of all of the princes. The daughter of the emperor, who is the most beautiful princess, and the most feared shadow wizard, who kidnapped her. Definitely a real nightmare to prince Paul, mostly after his father makes a bet about him successfully rescuing Princess Luscious. Now the timid and insecure prince must do the quest, because his own kingdom is also on the stake, not just his happily ever after. But who will save Paul?

I found Happily Ever Awkward a really interesting and entertaining book. The story is a little like parody or comedy version of the typical classic fairy tales for me, which I enjoyed very much, mostly that it was funny, but without being forced. The characters were also good, my personal favourites are Princess Luscious and the shadow wizard. The book-narrator was also a nice idea, however sometimes his talking was a little long, it would have been better shorter narrations.

Shortly, I really enjoyed the novel and I can recommend it to everyone, who wants to read something light and entertaining. The plot was good and funny, with great characters. If this novel will have a continuation, I will surely read it.


ISBN number:

Author's website:
https://tlcallies.com/