Ashleigh's Bookshelf

The Frights of Fiji by Sunayna Prasad Due to the tragic death of her parents five years ago, twelve-year-old Alyssa lives with her mean uncle. But, her world is about to change because of magic. One day, she receives a note telling her so. While I liked the concept of this story, I was not impressed in its execution. I had a difficult time finishing the book. The writing was very juvenile and the editing poor. I had trouble relating to the characters and did not feel any sense of "I want to know what happens next." While some of the storyline and worldbuilding felt ripped from Harry Potter, other parts made little sense to me, despite the fact that everything felt over-explained. Overall, I would rate this story three quills and place it on my bottom 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...