“This was a war between monsters. And I was caught in the middle.”
Shapeshifters exist. Monsters are real. And no good deed goes unpunished.
Nursing student Ellie St. James didn’t mean to get involved in a war between rival gangs of shifters, but saving the life of a local mob boss’s child has dragged her into one. When Ellie’s life is threatened because of her involvement, she’s forced to go on the run, protected by Carter Ballis, head of security for the mobster’s family, and a lethal shifter himself.
Blood, fire, and warfare weren’t part of Ellie’s plans, but even if she survives, her life will never be the same. The world is more than she knew, and she’s seen too much. People capable of morphing into deadly creatures from legends and folklore around the globe are coming for her.
The cost of staying alive means trusting Carter to defend her, and he’s every bit as frightening as the creatures that want her dead…
I fell in love with the shifter lore in Ashes to Earth. Pulling from many different cultures, Sarah Ashwood was able to show the mythical creatures from around the world in one place. Many of the main shifter characters seem to be based on Greek myths, so fans of Greek mythology may really enjoy this fresh take on the classic mythological characters.
Ellie, the human, is wonderful. She’s very well-balanced and when the fluff hits the fan, she freaks out – as any good human girl would do when a minotaur shows up in front of them. But she also reacts quickly. She isn’t a damsel in distress by any means, but she does realize her own limitation when it comes to standing up against these shifters. It was quite refreshing to have such a down-to-earth character be the heroine of an urban fantasy story.
I’m still trying to figure out Carter. he’s hard and stubborn, but I saw glimpses of something much more, but I’m not sure what that “more” is yet. He has a very dry and sarcastic sense of humor, which I loved, but not everyone in the story did. I feel like he may have been a little flat with a lot of her deeper self being described from his past instead of showing up in his actions in the present.
Carter’s job throughout the book is the protect Ellie from the other team’s shifters. And both sides get pretty creative in their attacks and defenses, which just freaks Ellie out even more. The reason for the war between the two sides comes out slowly, and we discover more about it as Ellie finds herself slipping further and further into the shifter world.
I will definitely want to pick up the second book in the Stones of Fire series. The story ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, but even without that, I know there’s more to tell and I really want to find out who is going to win in the end.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
Dr. Wonderful loves asking big questions…and using science to answer them. She and her dog, Newton, want to know why the moon changes shape in the sky every night. But how can they study the moon when it’s so far away? By blasting off into space, of course! On their amazing journey, this detective duo gathers clues to solve their lunar mystery using the powers of science, curiosity, and teamwork.
Blast Off to the Moon! was an incredibly fun trip to outer space to see why the moon seems to change shape when we watch it from Earth. Dr. Wonderful and Newton ask all the good questions and discover the answers as they explore the moon and how it works. The illustrations were beautiful and showed up very nicely on a tablet.
The information is presented in quite a fun way – more of an exploration than a lecture – and my 9yo enjoyed finding out how it all worked. I may have even picked up a new bit of information here and there (it’s been a long time since I took any science classes).
I highly recommend this for any space-curious kiddos out there.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
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Three Reasons You Should Read This Paranormal Vampire Romance:
First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost is a really exciting vampire romance with some very interesting characters.
Taking place in the Cat & Bones world, it helps to have read some of the original books to get all the nuances, but the main story should still be enjoyable if you haven’t.
It isn’t all about the vampires – there is an entire world of paranormal creatues here, and they will leave you turning pages as fast as you can to see what happens next.
The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows—her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield—and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family’s past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness—and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who lusts for a taste of her.
He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human—even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the nightmare together . . .
Because once the first crimson drop falls, they will both be lost.
If you are already a fan of Cat & Bones and the Night Huntress world, then First Drop of Crimson is the perfect way to get to know some of the best side characters in the series. Denise and Spade have shown up repeatedly in the series, and I was very excited to see them in their own book.
Denise has lost a lot to the paranormal world. And as much as she would like to like to leave it in the past, it isn’t quite done with her yet. But this time it isn’t vampires and ghouls, but a demon out for revenge. While I applaud her for reaching out for help to a group she had hoped to leave behind, I never quite understood why she didn’t want to Cat know what was going on.
When Spade shows up to help her, he quickly tries to take control of the situation to try and save the day – and Denise mostly lets him. She has a few ground rules, but they really don’t last for very long. Especially when they turn to the vampire underworld to help track the demon down.
While at times Denise seemed a little “maiden in distress,” I can’t really imagine most people acting differently when a demon is out to eat you. Through the book, we learn more of how vampire society (especially the less up and up portion of it) works and I really enjoyed how Jeaniene Frost built the lore behind the demon. You will not want to put this book down – the story moves steadily with a fantastic balance between action and exhaustion.
