Ashleigh's Bookshelf

A Town Called Potato by Gary Blaine Randolph When computer expert Gabriel Lake meets with a new client, he expects them to ask him to develop a new app. He doesn't expect them to ask him to help find a missing person. Not just any missing person. Someone who doesn't belong on Earth. And that's just the beginning of the adventure. This book felt like A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy crossed with Sherlock Holmes . Throughout the book, the main character admits he has no idea what he is doing, but he is drawing his knowledge from the noir mysteries he loves to read. Set on several other planets, this book required a lot of worldbuilding. And the author did not disappoint. Perhaps it was his likening it to science fiction shows I had seen, but I could really picture each new location, as well as the aliens who lived there. I also really enjoyed not only the explanation of how the chrono drive worked, but also watching it in motion. The author used ...

Duckett & Dyer: Dicks For Hire by G.M. Nair Michael Duckett is having a bad day. He hates his job. The woman he likes stood him up. The landlord never received his last three rent checks. The lump on his couch that calls herself his best friend won't take life seriously. And people keep requesting the services of his detective agency. Too bad he doesn't have one. Just when things couldn't get any worse, he gets dragged into a vortex and must crash his way through alternate universes until he finds his way home. This book was very funny and creative. Like the main character, I had a lot of trouble trying to figure out the way the vortex worked, but it wasn't confusing enough to prevent me from enjoying the story. I enjoyed the main characters, even though I did want to smack Stephanie upside the head a few times. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the rest of this series. Overall, I would rate this story four and a half quills and place it on my top shelf.

Kingdom of Embers   by Tricia Copeland Alana just wants her senior year to be as normal as possible. Well, as normal as it can be for a half-witch/half-vampire. One of the forbidden creatures. She's also a Child of Light, although she has no idea what that means. All she knows is that she wants to be able to attend parties and date boys. Which boy turns out to be a problem. There's her study buddy who wants to be more than a friend. There's the other half-witch/half-vampire whom she meets on a blind date. And then there's her imaginary friend who turns out to be a real human being. I am going to start this review by saying I really enjoyed this story and cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I found the the prose light and very appropriate for a young adult audience and I could really relate to the main character. By the end of chapter one, we learn that Alana's mother is on some sort of secret quest and Alana wants to know what that is. She also wants m...