#Review - Acca by Christina Bauer #YA #Fantasy #Paranormal

Series: Angelbound Origins # 3
Format: Kindle, 330 pages
Release Date: July 9, 2019
Publisher: Monster House Books
Source: Amazon
Genre: YA / Fantasy / Paranormal

In just one week, supernatural warrior Myla Lewis must discover enough evidence to send the evil House of Acca to prison… or she’ll end up in jail herself, along with her fiancé, Prince Lincoln. No pressure.

To gather proof, Myla and Lincoln go undercover at an all-girl’s high school on Earth. Lincoln acts as the new gym teacher; Myla becomes the school’s least popular transfer student ever. To stop them from getting the goods, Acca releases Hell on Earth. Literally. Good thing Myla and Lincoln aren’t afraid of a tough fight. This one promises to be the hardest yet. After all, who ever said high school wasn’t hell?

Acca is the third installment in author Christina Bauer's Angelbound Origins trilogy. Quasi Demon Myla Lewis, aka the Great Scala, who can move souls to hell and heaven, and her fiance, Prince Lincoln of the Thrax House of Rixa, who is part Angel, are on the hunt for evidence against House Acca which has been itching to take power from Lincoln's father, King Connor. Six months ago, Myla, with her dragon scaled tail, was one of the best arena fighters in Purgatory. Then she became the Great Scala after Armageddon tried to rule. 

After a demon steals their evidence stored in a Rixa Codex, Myla and Lincoln learn that a heavy hitter may still be controlling things. They only have a few days to gather all the evidence to bring before the Arbiter so she can decide the outcome of the case. The house of Acca has it in for Myla and Lincoln and wants them out of the way so they can take over Thrax so they are trying to send them to prison. With Myla and Lincoln about to be sent to jail, they manage to escape with the help of Myla's dad, Xavier, and find themselves on Earth.

They are going undercover at a school on Earth to find the evidence they need to clear their names. Myla will be going in as a student and Lincoln as a teacher. It is here they must uncover the proof they need in order to save Hell overpowering all the realms. But things are really bizzaro here. They learn that Aldred may be trying to bring back Armageddon for good if he can find the key to unlock Hell. There's lots to be said about Lincoln's father as well, but I'll reserve that for another time.

Coincidentally, it is also only a week away from Myla and Lincoln wedding day where they will become King and Queen of Thrax. The Thrax are still a bit angry at Myla for her actions in the previous installment, and needless to say, if Myla can't get through all the parties the mothers, Queen Octavia and President Camilla, insist on having, there may be bloodshed in Myla's future. A positive development, Myla still has absolutely no filter, and her tail has a mind of its own, although Myla is getting better at controlling when she says around certain people. Lincoln has had a good influence on her in that way. 

Very interesting ending to this story. Which obviously means that one needs to make a choice. Continue to the next book in the series, or flip over to one of the 300 other books I'd like to read this decade. Choices. Choices.

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#Review - Scala by Christina Bauer #Fantasy #Paranormal

Series: Angelbound Origins # 2
Format: E-Book, 260 pages
Release Date: July 19th 2019
Publisher: Monster House Books
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal / Romance

Nineteen-year-old Myla Lewis has transformed into Great Scala, the only being with the power to move souls out of Purgatory and into Heaven or Hell. Trouble is, a magical object called Lucifer’s Orb is limiting Myla’s abilities. If she tries to move a soul, the Orb’s forcing her to send that spirit straight to Hell.

So, what’s a girl to do? Send innocents to the fiery down-under?

No way. Myla’s gone on a supernatural strike.

No souls go anywhere until the Orb’s history. It’s the right thing to do, but Purgatory’s Soul Storage buildings are turning into time bombs. No spirits are moving out, while millions keep coming in. Myla’s determined to find the Orb and send the innocent to Heaven, but she’s running out of time. Soon, the containment fields will burst, releasing a mob of homicidal ghosts.

With Soul Storage ready to explode, Myla’s got enough on her plate without her old enemy, Lady Adair, causing problems. Adair is launching an ingenious campaign to take away everything that Myla holds dear, including Myla’s Angelbound love, Prince Lincoln.

Between their clever ideas and toe-curling kisses, Myla and Lincoln are fighting back. But will they beat the clock or lose everything to Adair’s devious schemes?

Scala, by author Christina Bauer, is the second installment in the authors Angelbound Origins series. 19-year old Myla Lewis rose to become the Great Scala at the end of Angelbound. As the Great Scala, Myla Lewis (part human/part demon) is the only being who can move Purgatory’s souls to Heaven or Hell. But there is a huge problem. No, there's actually two problems. The first is something called Lucifer's Orb, the ultimate source of demonic magic, is interfering with Myla sending souls anywhere but straight to Hell. 

The second problem is much more dangerous. The containment fields where the souls are waiting are bursting at the seams. Myla wants to stick to her beliefs and not risk the souls of those meant for Heaven going to Hell, but she is running out of time and risking all of Purgatory if the souls break free and overrun the living. Lastly, Lady Adair, is sabotaging Myla at every turn. But she has also found a way to steal some of the igni which is what the Scala uses to move souls, from Myla. How is she able to do this? And Adair obviously has help.

There are some positives. Myla's new Scala robes can change to armor, very resourceful when you are part wrath demon and under constant attack. Her relationship with her mother, who is now the President of Purgatory, and her newly discovered father Xavier, has grown stronger. Each of her parents have their strengths that come in handy when Myla needs help the most. I am also glad to report that Lincoln's own mother is much more helpful now that she knows that Myla isn't a one hit wonder, as it were. Myla has an attitude, and can almost always back up her swagger. Just like Lincoln's mother.

As with Angelbound, Bauer adds an addition 4 chapters she's calling Epilogue. I do not believe one can read this book as a standalone as everything is connected. Just like I don't think one can read Acca, without reading the first two installments. Once I am finished with Acca, I will determine whether to continue to the rest of the series or not. Depends if I can get another fantastic deal on a boxed set.  

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#Review - Angelbound by Christina Bauer #Fantasy #Paranormal

Series: Angelbound Origins # 1
Format: EBook, 374 pages
Release Date: December 2020
Publisher: Monster House Books
Source: Amazon
Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal Romance

Myla Lewis is a girl who loves two things: kicking ass and kicking ass. She’s not your every day quasi-demon, part-demon and part-human, girl. Myla lives for the days she gets to fight in Purgatory’s Arena. That is, until she meets Prince Lincoln, a super-sexy half-human and half-angel demon hunter. But what’s a quasi-demon girl to do when she falls for a royal demon killer? With a love with fighting for, Myla’s about to shake up the after-realms.

Christina Bauer's Angelbound is the first installment in what's being called the Angelbound Origins. 18-year-old Myla Lewis is a Quasi-Demon, mostly human, with demon DNA. Myla lives in Purgatory with her mother Camilla. She has no clue as to who her father was due to her mother's failure to enlighten her about what happened 20 years ago that saw the Quasi become slaves to Ghouls. Purgatory is populated by Demons, Ghouls, and Quasi. What makes Myla interesting is that she's an arena fighter who is called to service whenever a soul is to be judged.

 

Myla doesn't use weapons. She has a tail like most Quasi, and the tail makes her nearly indestructible. Every Quasi-Demon has one of the 7 deadly sins they're aligned with. For Myla, hers is wrath. When a soul arrives in Purgatory, they are given a choice. Trial by Jury or combat. If they choose combat, those like Myla steps in. The fight is always to the death. If the soul loses the challenge, they go to Hell. If they win, they go to Heaven. As the best fighter, they save the nastiest ones for her.

 

Myla enjoys her battles in the arena, particularly when it’s against a demon and she keeps extensive notebooks on how to beat the various demon races. To make things more interesting, Myla and her friend Cissy attend a party where Myla meets Lincoln, the High Prince of the Thrax who has no love for the Quasi since his people hunt demons. Myla also has part lust demon in her which makes it hard for her to stay away from Lincoln who is half-human, half-angel. 

 

When the demons start to act weird, even for demons, and the King of the Demons, Armageddon, shows up at Myla’s school, things begin to change. Angels are visiting the school, which never happens, and the Angels want the students to learn to fight and protect themselves which offends the Oligarch, a group of 4 Ghouls who are aligned with Armageddon. Something is up and when it comes to Armageddon, that something could indeed have dire consequences. 

 

Myla starts to question everything, and doesn’t like the answers she finds. Around twenty years ago, demons invaded purgatory and left ghouls running things. There's a reason why Myla’s mom is super over-protective and won’t say anything about her life before the war. The only person who seems to have any concern Myla's people is Verus, an Angel who is also an oracle who seems to be pushing Myla towards something greater than an arena fighter. It is through Verus that readers will come to solve the mystery of what happened 20 years ago, and what's to come for Myla, Cissy, Walker, and Lincoln in the near future. 

 

Angelbound is part of a Angelbound Origins Box Set which includes the first three installments in this series. 

 

 

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#Review - ECHO Academy by Christina Bauer #YA #SyFy

Series: Dimension Drift #2
Format: Kindle, 208 pages
Release Date: April 28, 2020
Publisher: Monster House Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: YA / Science Fiction

A Prince Of No Value
 
On planet Umbra, Thorne is known as the weak prince, extra brother and human-shaped punching bag for his father, Cole, Emperor of the Omniverse. Thorne never expected to find his transcendent soul mate. But when the prince connects with Meimi Archer, the human girl becomes Thorne’s transcendent and his world…

…until Cole decides to abduct her.

Now the prince of no value will do anything to protect what’s most precious. Meimi.

A Girl Geek With A Problem
 
Science prodigy Meimi Archer attends ECHO Academy, an elite high school located under Earth’s Boston Dome. That part is cool. Then she finds herself separated from her boyfriend, Thorne, due to a supposedly unbreakable exile void. Not okay.

Meimi pulls together a band of classmates and misfits. Her goal? Break through the exile void. Her problem? Headmaster Conway, the man who runs ECHO Academy. Conway wants to use Meimi’s exile void annihilator for an invasion of Umbra. Meh. Meimi’s not worried--she’ll take the Headmaster down while still reuniting with Thorne, easy peasy. Only trouble is, who’s that shadowy figure following Meimi everywhere? And why does it feel like Umbra may actually be invading Earth somehow?

In ECHO Academy, secrets are revealed, plots uncovered, and transcendence is only a few pages away. Don’t miss this jam-packed adventure of 40,000+ words.
 

ECHO Academy is the second (actually 4th) installment in author Christina Bauer's Dimension Drift. Things you should know. First, there are two prequels called Scythe and Umbra. Scythe is the story of Meimi Archer one of the most intelligent young scientists in this world who created something that led to being discovered by the wrong people. Umbra follows the second main character, Thorne, who is from Umbra an Omniverse where his father is Emperor. Thorne meets Meimi after making good on one of his father's promises. 

 

I suggest that you read Scythe first so that you know who the characters are in this series, and what happens to bring us to this point. Second, this book actually overlaps with Alien Minds, so yes, I do recommend that you keep that in mind before jumping into this story. Since Meimi and Thorne are the main characters of this story, the author alternates chapters between them. After a confrontation with Thorne's father Cole, Emperor of the Omniverse, on Umbra, the two are separated by and Exile Void. 

 

Back on Earth, Meimi at least has her best friends at ECHO Academy, Zoe and Chloe along for the ride. Cole has to either trust his own brothers, Slate and Justice, or find a way to stop Cole from claiming Meimi as his transcendent. Under the Boston Dome, Meimi has to also deal with an unhinged professor who wants Meimi to help him design an invention that can invade Umbra. Thanks to Zoe and Chloe, at least Meimi is able to band together a band of super geniuses and misfits in order to break through the exile void.

 

I am not sure it's possible to have worse parents than Thorn, but I imagine I've come across them a time or two over the last 11 years. Throne refuses to accept defeat. While Meimi is working to find a way to break thru the Exile Void and reunite with Thorne, Thorne is discovering family secrets that could actually give him a leg up on how to finally. The most interesting part is that Thorne and Meimi each can control access to what's being called the Crown Sentient where Cole gets his powers from. Even the discovery of Meimi's true heritage makes things a little bit more interesting as the story moves forward.

 

At the end of this book, it appears as though the author has decided to quit writing any more stories in this series. She's claiming that if she does come back to this series, it will be as separate stories featuring Justice & Zoe, Slate and Chloe. This is the same author who writes the Angelbound Origins series and she also just started the Pixieland Diaries. So, as you see, the author has a whole lot on her plate.

 

Dimension Drift Series
1. Scythe
2. Umbra
3. Alien Minds
4. ECHO Academy

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#Review - Alien Minds by Christina Bauer #YALIT #Dystopian

Series: Dimension Drift # 1
Format: Paperback,330 pages
Release Date: April 23, 2019
Publisher: Monster House Books
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Genre:Young Adult / Dystopian

DIVERGENT meets OCEAN'S EIGHT in this urban fantasy heist!

On my seventeenth birthday, I wake up in the hospital to find I just survived a sketchy-but-terrible accident. My perfect-looking parents say I live an ideal life inside the Boston dome. And although my swoon-worthy guard, Thorne, looks totally familiar, he says we don’t have a history.

What a bunch of crap.

I don’t remember anything—not even my real name—but I can still tell when someone’s lying. From what I figure out, my dystopian overlords wiped my memory, leaving only my super science skills behind. Now, instead of expecting me to scream for revenge, the government demands that I build new tech that will launch an apocalypse against anyone who isn’t perfect.

So I nod. Say yes. And scheme to blow the whole thing up.

My memory may be gone, but my sass remains intact. I round up a team of teenage scientists to take down the nasty-ass government without getting ourselves killed. Only trouble is, I must accomplish all this while avoiding my growing attraction to Thorne, who may or may not be an alien. Something tells me that protecting my heart from my hottie guard might be the most dangerous adventure of all… 

 

Alien Minds is the first installment in author Christina Bauer's Dimension Drift series. Let me set the scene for this series. First, this is not the first book in the series. There are two prequels called Scythe and Umbra. Scythe is the story of Meimi Archer one of the most intelligent young scientists in this world who created something that led to being discovered by the wrong people. Umbra follows the second main character, Thorne, who is from Umbra an Omniverse where his father is Emperor. Thorne meets Meimi after making good on one of his father's promises. I suggest that you read Scythe first so that you know who the characters in this new trilogy are, and what happened to bring us to this point. 

The author picks up this new trilogy after the events of Scythe. Meimi wakes up in the hospital to find she supposedly survived a sketchy accident. People who claim to be her sponsor parents stand by my bedside calling her Wisteria Roberts. Then comes the creepy Doctor Godwin who tells Wisteria that she is to attend the prestigious ECHO Academy if she is successful in building a project that he has created that will lead to mass genocide of undesirables if he is successful. 

Meimi puts together a team which includes twin sisters Chloe and Zoe, as well as some of her underground contacts who, well, I'll not spoil that for you. As I said, I would recommend that you read Scythe so that you understand what really happened to Meimi and why she is where she is as the story opens. As Meimi gets closer to her goals of preventing mass genocide from happening, she begins to understand that there is more to her guard Thorne than meets the eyes. Things that will lead to an even more curious action packed ending to the story.

Thorne has been assigned to be Meimi's personal guard by Godwin. Thorne knows who Meimi is, what she is capable of doing, and the fact that she is his transcendent, makes things really hard for him to stand by watching Meimi not understand why she is so important to him and others. As I did not read Umbra, I had not yet met Thorne's brothers Slade and Justice who are secondary characters in this book. It is hard to discuss Thorne, his brothers, and their father, without giving away some spoilers. So, if you can get pass this review, read the book.

Now, why in the hell did I rate it as only 3 stars you ask? Simple. The editing in this book is atrocious. I have not read a book with this many errors in it for a very long time. I had been warned by other reviewers that it appeared that the author rushed this for publication without first sending it to an editor to ensure the mistakes were caught. At times, it  appeared to have been written by a 5th grader with impressive dialogue skills. If you end up with the paperback copy of this book, please let me know if you have similar issues with glaring errors throughout the book.

Question: Will I continue with this series? Debatable. There is a rather curious and shocking ending to this book where things are revealed and things happen that lead to even more twists. However, if I end up with a copy of said sequel and it is filled with glaring errors, I will happily DNF the book and move on to something else.

Dimension Drift Prequels
1. Scythe
2. Umbra

Dimension Drift Novels
1. Alien Minds
2. ECHO Academy
3. Drift Warrior 

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#Review - Shifters and Glyphs by Christina Bauer #YALIt #Fairy Tales

Series: Fairy Tales of the Magicorum# 2
Format: Trade Paperback, 334 pages
Release Date: October 16, 2018
Publisher: Monster House Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Adaptations

After being raised by the meanest fairies in the history of ever, Bryar Rose is now free to live her own life. For the first time, she’s attending West Lake Prep, a regular high school. Well, mostly regular. Some students are actually hidden members of the Magicorum. In other words, they’re really wizards, fairies, or shifters. Bry doesn’t mind, though. She’s thrilled to enjoy all the new experiences of being around normal kids her age, from locker pranks to lunchtime mystery meat. Everything is going along great, except for one thing.

Bry’s dreams about the pyramids of Egypt have gotten darker and more sinister. Every night, she sees her new man Knox and her best friend Elle in danger. With no other choice, Bry plans to leave school to explore the pyramids on her own. But her new man Knox discovers the scheme and is having none of it. He wants to stay by her side, no matter what. It’s a good thing too, because Bry must solve the mystery of her attraction to the pyramids and soon. Otherwise, it could cost the lives of those she loves most.

And that means not only Knox, but also her best friend Elle.

 

Shifters and Glyphs is the second installment in author Christina Bauer's Fairy Tales of the Magicorum series. If you haven't yet read this series, please be patient while I summarize. In this series, Protagonist Bryar Rose belongs to a group known as the Magicorum. Each of the three Magicorum groups (shifters, fae, witches/warlocks) follow a fairy tale type life template. For example; Bryar Rose's life template was supposed to be that of Sleeping Beauty. 

For 17 years, Bryar was raised by three mean spirited fairies who never let her out of their sight, unless she was sneaking out with her best friend Elle. Bryar Rose is known as a Triloroum because she has access to all three (shifter, fae, and witch/warlock) magics. Bryar knows that magic is apparently disappearing from the world, and unless she can find the mysterious fountain, which she has been searching for through old papyri, the world will be a much different place. 

Between getting ready for her first real day of actual high school, and not homeschooling done via bad fairies, Bryar's dreams are being invaded by evil beings trying to pressure Bry into doing their bidding; going as far as threatening her friends and showing their abilities through her dreams. Bryar isn't alone in this endeavor. Not by a long shot. She has her boyfriend Knox, who is also Alpha of the shifters; she has her best friend Elle, who is a thief and a con artist, and she has Alec Le Charme who is a witch & warlock.

As a curiosity, Knox, who is on the cover of this book, is the warden for the Shifters, while Alec, is the warden for witches & warlocks. (Readers find out who the warden of the faeries are later in the book, but I won't spoil it.) Wardens are supposed to find, guard, and activate the fountain. Wardens like Alex and Knox can't get married without finding the fountain first. Don't ask. It's just some plot line that the author has chosen to add to the story.

There is one character I haven't yet mentioned. That is Bryar's inner wolf who tends to speak like Gollum when she gets stressed out. The two have some pretty curious

conversations that are often humorous and often at odds with what Bry should be doing to protect her friends from her mission. She is also very protective and drawn to Knox which makes for some curious scenes. Bryar has a full plate with unlocking the location of the fountain, traveling back in time, encountering creepy evil beings known as the Shadowvin, and dealing with what the unknown character called the Void wants from her. 

When all is said and done, some pretty curious twists are revealed, and I can finally say that I am glad that Elle and Alec will be the main characters in what appears to be the next 3 books. (2 books and a novella). I also know that things are going to get interesting now that Elle's secret has been revealed. It means that she, and probably Alec, will have to deal with the fallout of what happens in this book. No spoilers.

FAIRY TALES OF THE MAGICORUM
Sleeping Beauty
1 - Wolves And Roses
1.5 - Moonlight and Midtown
2 - Shifters And Glyphs

Cinderella
2.5 - Fairies and Frosting
3 - Slippers And Thieves

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ARC #Review - Moonlight And Midtown by Christina Bauer #YALit #Fantasy

Series: Fairy Tales of the Magicorum # 1.5
Format: E-Book, 125 pages
Release Date: May 27, 2018
Publisher: Monster House Books
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Novella

After battling werewolves and evil aunties, Bryar Rose is ready to enjoy her new life. No more crazy aunties. Her curse is toast. And Bry’s new man, Knox, is literally a dream come true. Best of all, Bry will soon attend a regular high school. Forget those sketchy tutors! To get ready, Bry is dedicating the rest of her summer to some serious back-to-school shopping with her best friend, Elle. It’s a blast, except for one thing:

Mysterious strangers are following Bry across Manhattan. 

All these stalkers have oddly familiar scents and an uncanny ability to slip into the shadows whenever Bry tries to confront them. Even worse, their presence is making Knox act crazy with a capital C.

But Bry’s having none of it. Enough of her life has already been ruined by secrets. With Elle’s help, Bry plans to confront these strangers, find out what they want, and send them packing. Trouble is, the truth about their identity won’t be so easy to manage, especially when Bry finds out how these stalkers could change her future with Knox…and not for the better.

Moonlight and Midtown, by author Christina Bauer, is a novella that takes place between Wolves and Roses, and Shifters and Glyphs. Briar Rose is finally free from her psycho fairie aunts who kept her locked up in a penthouse for most of her life to hide her magical nature. Now freed, Briar has discovered that she is actually a rarity; a paranormal who has access to shifter, fae, and witch magic. But, Briar has been having a whole bunch of issues with her newly released wolf who likes to pop out at the most inopportune times let alone being able to access all three magics in a moments notice. 

Thankfully, Briar has boyfriend Knox, the Alpha of the Wolves, to help guide her. Knox who has to corral Briar's wolf before she takes over fully and becomes lost. She also has her best friend Elle, who is supposed to follow the Cinderella story, and Alec, who is supposed to follow the Prince Charming story. The action takes place when Briar Rose and Elle go shopping for an outfit that won't shed to pieces every time she shifts. If you've read the first installment, you already met Fae Queen Nyxa who is a real trip and not a fan of Briar's. 

While the author avoids getting fully immersed into the subject about magic disappearing, and Briar's search for the Original book of Magic, she does hint that readers will see much more on that subject in the next installment. The main reason for my review rating is that Briar isn't the same person she was in the first installment. She is almost childish in her behavior. Hopefully, that will be resolved pronto. 

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ARC #Review - Dimension Drift by Christina Bauer #YALit #Paranormal

Series: Dimension Drift Worlds # 1
Format: E-Book, 125 pages
Release Date: April 24, 2018
Publisher: Monster House Books
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Young Adult / Paranormal

Truth time. I go to a Learning Squirrel High School. Don’t judge. 

On second thought, judge away. Learning Squirrel is one step above attending class in a junkyard. But what do you expect? Everything’s made out of garbage these days. At least, I have my freelance work to keep Mom and me housed, clothed, and fed. How? I’m your regular high school science geek for hire… only my work manipulates space-time. These gigs pay really well, but the government wants people like me dead. Good thing I’m super careful about hiding from their detection systems.

Then I screw up a job. Badly. My house slips into two-dimensional space-time. It only lasts for a few seconds, but the move still sets off about a dozen government alarms. If they track me down, Mom and I are good as dead. Long story short, I need to pay someone off, hide the evidence, and keep us safe.

Unfortunately, that means asking the Scythe for help. He runs the local underground crime scene and has absolutely no conscience. Or I'm pretty sure he doesn’t. It’s hard to think straight when a guy’s that hot in an evil Mafioso kingpin kind of way. More importantly, he's a crime lord who can conceal my slip-up with a few clicks on his minion’s computer keyboards. But the Scythe has his price. In this case, he wants me to finish a certain dimensional prototype for him in twenty-four hours. I can do it, but it might mean Learning Squirrel High gets blown up in the process. Oh yes, and there's also my new hot classmate who may or may not be an alien... and he says he'll do anything to help me.

This job won't be easy, but I’ve gotten out of worse scrapes. Maybe.

Dimension Drift, by author Christina Bauer, is the prequel to a new young adult paranormal romance series called Dimension Drift World. In this first installment, Bauer introduces readers to a new world where most people live in domed cities and are under the control of the so called Government. Set in the year 2611, Meimi has been searching for her older sister Luci who apparently ran away with her boyfriend a year ago. Since then, her mother has become a shell of herself. Until the day of Meimi's birthday.  

This is the same sister who was close to her mother and a draft scientist. Meimi and her mother live off the grid in an abandoned chemical factory due to the fact that her mother is not altogether healthy. Plus, what Meimi does, designs her own technology, will get her dead if she ends up being caught. In this world, those who don't meet the Authority's strict guidelines, are tossed away and never seen again. Meimi isn't your average teenager. She actually gets down with the scientific designs like magnetic enhancers and makes good money doing so.

Meimi’s mom asks her to help her create a void or drift so that she can call on a friend to help them find Luci. Creating this drift will put their lives in danger and if caught by the government they will be executed. Hoping to avoid the wrath of the government after she makes a huge mistake, Meimi calls on a business acquaintance of hers that may be able to help her cover up the deed. The only other thing you need to know about this story is that the second character to be introduced in this series, Thorne Oxblood, makes a brief appearance and there is definitely a connection between the two. 

DIMENSION DRIFT WORLDS
1. Dimension Drift
2. Umbra

DIMENSION DIFT
1. Alien Minds 
2. ECHO Academy

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Wednesday #Review - Wolves and Roses by Christina Bauer #YALit #Fantasy

Series: Fairy Tales of the Magicorum # 1
Format: E-Book, 292 pages
Release Date: October 31, 2017
Publisher: Monster House Books
Source: Edelweiss
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy

Seventeen-year-old Bryar Rose has a problem. She’s descended from one of the three magical races—shifters, fairies, or witches. That makes her one of the Magicorum, and Magicorum always follow a fairy tale life template. In Bryar’s case, that template should be Sleeping Beauty.

“Should” being the key word. 

Trouble is, Bryar is nowhere near the Sleeping Beauty life template. Not even close. She doesn’t like birds or woodland creatures. She can’t sing. And she certainly can’t stand Prince Philpot, the so-called “His Highness of Hedge Funds” that her aunties want her to marry. 

Even worse, Bryar finds herself attracted to a hottie werewolf named Knox and is under attack by evil mummy-zombies. If Bryar can’t figure out who—or what—she really is, it might cost both her and Knox their lives… as well as jeopardize the very nature of magic itself.

Christina Bauer's Wolves and Roses is the first installment in the Fairy Tales of Malecorum series. Protagonist Bryar Rose wants to attend a regular high school with normal humans. But, she's anything but normal. Her world is filled with three main magical races; shifters, fairies, witches/warlocks. Raised by three fairy aunts, placed under a curse by Colonel Mallory the Magnificent, all she has to do is keep her head down until her 18th birthday while also ignoring the unwanted advances of Philpot to finally gain her freedom.

But that plan gets turned upside down when Bryar Rose meets Knox, the bad boy who’s literally from her dreams. Knox is a powerful werewolf, and his presence in her life changes everything, and not just because he makes her knees turn into Jell-O. It's because something inside of her also seems to want to be with Knox. If Bryar can’t figure out who—or what—she really is, it might cost both her and Knox their lives… as well as jeopardize the very nature of magic itself.

In this world, those like Bryar Rose have a scheduled life they are supposed to follow. In Bri's case, her's is that of Sleeping Beauty. She is even cursed to fall asleep if things get to intense in her life. Bri's best friend and sometimes partner in crime is Elle aka Cinderella and there is also a Scarlett, aka Red Riding Hood. Bri and Elle occasionally break in the LeCharme Building where Bri is collecting special papyri that are linked to a ancient book of magic which was said to have been lost several thousand years ago.

I dare say that this is a unique story in the whole living out your life as a fairy tale character. I've read so many books, that I can't remember an author who chose to take this sort of chance with famous fairy tales. This story is filled with snark, and humor, as well as very twisted villains whom the author calls Denarii. One could say that Bri is on her own path to happiness that just happens to get entangled with not only Knox, and Elle, but Alec LeCharme as well. 

There are several friendship angles that actually work. Bri and Elle have each others back, no matter what little secrets they might be holding back. I do hope we get more of a broader look into Elle's life and background soon. Same with Alex and Knox. Best friends since childhood, they are two peas in a pod. Alec and Knox are two of the three Wardens in charge of their respective magical race. 

For the record, the author doesn't just focus on Bryar Rose's story. There are chapters from Knox's narrative plus his inner wolf which were interesting to read. His wolf does not have much in the way of dialogue but I love his tenacity for knowing what he wants. As this is the first story in the series, I was expecting certain story lines not to be wrapped up all at once and I was correct in my assumption. The next installment is called Shifters and Glyph's which will release in the fall of 2018.  

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