Saturday, October 24, 2015

Review: The Clockwork Scarab

The CLOCKWORK SCARAB
by Colleen Gleason

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you’re the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood. And when two society girls go missing, there’s no one more qualified to investigate.

Now fierce Evaline and logical Mina must resolve their rivalry, navigate the advances of not just one but three mysterious gentlemen, and solve murder with only one clue: a strange Egyptian scarab. The stakes are high. If Stoker and Holmes don’t unravel why the belles of London society are in such danger, they’ll become the next victims.

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes and Noble
*Recieved for free in exchange for an honest review*

Are you a fan of Sherlock, British mysteries, or paranormal reads? Well, you have hit the jackpot with the new Stoker and Holmes series. I absolutely adored this novel! The Clockwork Scarab has amazing characters, an awesome plot, hints of romance, paranormal aspects, danger, and humor.

First of all, Mina Holmes and Evaline Stoker are an amazing team and each girl has their own distinct voice and talents. Sure, they many not be BFFs yet. At first, they didn't even necessarily like each other. However, I can tell they will grow to be close friends in future books...

Mina definitely proves herself worthy to call herself Sherlock's niece. Her observation skill and knowledge are most admirable. Evaline was equally as awesome. She is super strong, popular in London society, and over all kickbutt... although she does have a problem with blood. One of my favorite scenes is when she goes to a pub and establishes dominance over Pix in an arm wrestling match. Pix is an awesome character who I loved!!! Other great male characters included Inspector Grayling and a really sweet time traveler. Personally, I am rooting for Mina to end up with Grayling. Both guys are awesome but he is a much better match for her!

The plot was great too! There is a mysterious, scary villain, Egyptian goddesses, scarabs, time travel, and, of course, murder. And the mystery starts with a task set from no one other than Irene Addler! Although the plot was full of danger and life-or-death situations, the author still managed to incorporate witty lines that made me laugh!

Overall, The Clockwork Scarab is definitely a new favorite. I cannot wait for the next book!
4.5/5 Stars



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Sunday, October 11, 2015

Non YA Reviews: Bend Your Brain, The Thug Kitchen, and Hope in Ballet Shoe

Received for review from Blogging for Books. All opinions are honest and my own! Yeah, this is a strange one! However,  I wanted to try out this blogger's reviewing site and none of the fiction interested me :)                                  

I had a lot of fun flipping through the pages and testing my brain! There were five main sections, my favorites being Coordination and Visual Perception. As soon as I got it, I got to work solving... and I can imagine this book would be great for car rides and any time you're bored in public. Or, just challenge yourself to a few pages every night before bed.         
Also, Bend Your Brain was very witty and funny at times, and the problems were very clever. My dad and I had fun challenging each other. I wasn't so impressed with this book that I would consider buying more books like it, but I did enjoy stretching my brain and I feel very sophisticated having it on my shelf!



I bought this book... and I have no regrets. Thug Kitchen is hilarious with delicious looking recipes! I'm not even vegan, but I'm immensely loving this cookbook. My friend and I laughed so hard while flipping through the pages... Warning: there is profanity. 


I first saw Michaela DePrince in the documentary, First Position. Then, while in London, I came upon this book! The book was inspiring and had me rooting for Michaela the entire time. Her childhood was unimaginable... but she overcame the bad and became a dancer. I especially loved how one magazine cover started her dream!

Any dancers or fans of inspirational, true stories will love this novel to pieces.

I hope you enjoyed these Non-YA Reviews!



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