Ever wanted to know the truth behind the legends of the Rangers of Araluen? Well now you can.

Even if you haven’t had the pleasure of delving into one of the Ranger’s adventures as yet- you have probably heard of the series. For the past seven years it has fuelled imaginations from the youngest bracket of the YA market right through to adults. Now some of our most burning questions are answered. Using inspiration from fan questions and letters, Flanagan has composed a collection of 11 short stories that are an absolute delight and full of fantastic answers that will still leave you wanting more. Packed with the same awe- inspiring action and stellar characters of the previous novels in the series, you will find each story flies by in the blink of an eye.  Even if you haven’t read the entire series, the stories are crafted in a way that will not leave you feeling lost at all.

For me there were three stories in the collection that stood from the rest. “The Wolf” is vivid and packed with action. The scene is carved into your mind right from the very first paragraph and doesn’t let go. The wolf’s pain and suffering becomes your own and although you should surely hope for his capture, you can’t help but hoping he slips away. Will’s heartbreak at the thought of losing Tug is poignant and you may just find yourself reading between the tears. Thankfully for all fans of a certain little pony, there is a happy ending of sorts.

“Foreword” sets the scene for the whole collection perfectly.  And it’s just plain clever.  You feel completely drawn in from the very get-go and using characters to find the lost stories we are about to read, makes the whole world become a little more real.

“The Fragment” is the shortest section of the book and will leave you desperate for more. The intrigue is raised up another notch and although you have just been on one heck of a journey of discovery, it lets you know without a doubt more secrets are hidden in the midst of time.

My least favourite was “The Bridal Dance”. This was mainly because there were too many characters and inter-woven relationships for me to grasp at once. It has nothing to do with the way it was written or the storyline itself, but my lack of knowledge of the series.

Although this is mainly aimed at the die-hard fans, new and first time readers to the series may also find the in-depth look a fantastic way to start the adventure, without too many spoilers. There is also an excerpt of Flanagan’s new series- “Brotherband” set in the same world but with a whole new batch of characters to get to know.

So if you’re a Ranger’s fan or know someone who is- make sure you pick up a copy and lay some of those burning questions to rest.

The Lost Stories- John Flanagan

Random House Australia

ISBN:978-1-86471-818-8

500 Pages

About the book: A love so strong, even eternity can’t separate them.

Evie Starling has lived a relatively uneventful life hanging out with friends, gossiping about boys, and driving her 1966 Mustang. All of that changes when she moves to Gunnison, Colorado, to start college and meets two mysterious men.

For centuries, Alex Night and Emil Stone have yearned for Evie—but they each have their own reasons for wanting to be with her. When both men claim to be her soul mate and tell her about an unbelievable past, Evie learns that she’s not the person she thought she was. Soon, Evie finds herself in the middle of an age-old battle between the Amaranthine Society—the soul protectors, and the Daevos Resistance—the soul destroyers. With a past she doesn’t understand, and a future rife with danger, Evie has to decide who she can trust. But Alex and Emil aren’t the only ones who want Evie, and her soul is about to become the rope in an eternal tug-of-war

The thing that stood out most for me was Evie’s voice. She is a very opinionated and strongly spoken main character. She stands by the decisions that she makes and even when she is confused about what is going on, she never falters with her direct and to the point questions. Both Alex and Emil are not very straight forward with her, and she’s not stupid. Evie notices straight away when they are not telling the truth or even parts of the truth and she will point that out immediately. Both boys appear in her life very suddenly, although months apart. Her situation is both confusing, scary and intimidating.

Evie has a different kind of relationship with both Alex and Emil as well. When she meets Alex she is embarrased and makes jokes and has very fast come-back responses to his statements. He is very protective of her instantly and because of that he comes off as a little controlling and bossy in my opinion. He slyly takes away from Evie some of what makes her so strong. He doesn’t want her to drive her Mustang unless he is with her because it attracts other boys. He always wants to be the one paying and opening the doors as well. Although this seems gentlemanly, the way it is brought up in the story makes Alex seem a little to overprotective and secretive.

With Emil, he seems at first more laid back, he kisses her the first time he sees her. A love at first sight kind of attraction. He never comes off as hiding anything from her until the interactions with both he and Alex begin to show that they know each other. Although Emil never comes straight out in telling Evie he is intimidated by her car, they still have a relationship in which I feel she loses a part of herself to be with the boy.

When Evie finally sees that she needs time away from them both, I felt pride in her decision. If she cannot be sure of what she wants, how can she be sure of which relationship is right for her.  This part of the story is also where it becomes more of a page-turner and the answers and confusion really start to open up and we can see a direction for the story and their relationships with each other.

I have never been a fan of romances, love triangles or girls that never stick by their decisions. With this being the first book in a trilogy it really focuses more on the characters. We get to meet them, figure out their personalities and most of all see where the story may be going with their interactions with each other. There are a lot of emotions and drama happening, most of all a lot of questions and some and story-telling. As the story progresses and the questions are beginning to find answers, I had a desire to find out what happens next.

It took a good half of the book for me to really get into this story. The introductions of the characters, and their relationships between each other, although very necessary in the end, took awhile to get into. As we get to know the characters’ past in the 2nd half of the book and the neccessity of them finding each other, it really took on new interest. There is always an air of mystery surrounding both Alex and Emil. There are some scary moments that help build an ominous feeling. And as the story really takes off we get some great supernatural elements as well as a feeling of war ahead.  A battle between the Amaranthine Society and the Daevos Resistance that none of them saw coming.

Now that the characters and their past lives and stories have been introduced to us, I am anticipating very exciting things for the sequel. It is a great read for those who like romance, a touch of history and the supernatural.

—

Hardcover, 320 pages

Expected publication: December 6th 2011 by Pendrell Publishing

ISBN 982729793 (ISBN13: 0980982729763)

http://www.angelacorbett.com

There’s nothing better than cuddling under a blanket, having a candle burning near you, and reading a good book, on a cold fall or winter night. Absolutely nothing better! Well … unless you have a good cup of tea or coffee in your other hand (sounds amazingly perfect!).

The book I’m reviewing today, is called Tempest by Julie Cross! I was sent this book through the mail by St. Martin’s Press, not really sure if it’s for my personnel blog, Turning Pages, or Burn Bright. But I had a great time reading it, so I’ll share my review on both sites 🙂

There is some sad news though, Tempest isn’t coming out til the beginning of next year (January 17), so not only are these my thoughts and opinions, but their also a huuuuge teaser, since you won’t be able to purchase the book for another two months! Sorry guys, but I really enjoyed it, and I would recommend going out, and getting it ASAP!

Has anyone ever asked you this question, “If you could have any super power, what would it be?” What was your answer? The power to hear what people are thinking, to be invisible, to be able to turn into a eagle, or have super strength? What if you had the ability to time travel, what would you do?

In Tempest, the main character Jackson, didn’t exactly have a choice. Not only was he born with the ability to travel time, but he was born as a time traveler. Even though, those two things might seem very similar, their actually totally different. In Tempest, there’s almost like another race of people, who have the same ability as Jackson. They’re not aliens, like in I Am Number Four, who come from a different planet. But they look and act like normal humans, the only difference is, they can go back in time, and change things to the way they want them to go.

After Jackson, tells his best friend, Adam, about his ability, they start running tests; seeing how far back he can go, and if people would remember him, when he time travelled.

Soon things start getting crazy, and Jackson’s whole life is turned around. His sister died years ago, he finds out his dad is not his real dad, and that he’s in the CIA, and his girlfriend, Holly is murdered. Now he has to go back in time, to save his girlfriend, and figure out who he really is, and where he’s really from.

To be honest, I don’t think I have one bad thing to say about this book! Since Tempest is only the first book in a trilogy, the ending was a bit open, but I really liked how everything played out. It had my attention in it’s firm grasp, from the first page, all the way to the last!

I loved Jackson and Holly’s relationship, even though the first time you meet Holly, they’re arguing and fighting. Holly was a blast, she made me laugh a few times throughout the book, the way she acted, and never fully trusted Jackson. She just really reminded me of a friend of mine. On the other hand, Jackson seems like the kind of guy who keeps his feelings to himself, and isn’t exactly the romantic. But he grows a lot by the end of the book. The things he says, and the way he treats Holly, is soo sweet!

If you know me well enough, you know I’m a sucker for sad movies! I cry at the Titanic, Toy Story 3, The Notebook, and any other sad book or movie, nomatter if I have read or watched it twenty times already! I just really enjoy stories, that touch my heart enough to make me feel sad.

When Jackson slips even farther into the past, he runs into his twin sister Courtney, who passed away a few years ago, due to cancer. This part made me cry so hard! He explained to her, that he was from the future, and that’s why he looks so much older. Then Courtney asks about her future self, but Jackson didn’t want to tell her what really happens. I just had to close the book. I could take it any more,  I just need a breather.

I couldn’t even open the book, and read the next two lines, without my eyes getting watery again. Jackson was saying goodbye, and telling how much he loved her.

Tempest, made me feel every emotion possible. I was laughing a few times about Holly, cried about Courtney, and was mad at Jackson’s dad. I really enjoyed Tempest, and I can’t wait to finish the trilogy and see it in theatres! 🙂

You can listen to an clip from the Tempest audiobook on the link below:

Tempest audioclip

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin (January 17, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312568894
• ISBN-13: 978-0312568894

He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

Every once in awhile you come across that story that you just don’t want to put down. This was one of those books for me. It was a page-turner that I found so intriguing. The description above tells more of the story than what I was originally going to touch on in my review. I intended on doing a little teaser about Archer and his feelings for Evan, but it really lays it all out for you. What the description only gives hints at, is how much this book really shows a deeper look at relationships than the angsty teenage love we see so much of in books today. Although part of that may be that these characters are in college and the time for angst has passed, for the most part.

Archer and Vivian’s relationship has been getting stronger since they were young. There is just as much as a brotherly love her for has there is physical attraction. He has decided that by killing off all of the people that have ever hurt her, that she will eventually be able to take control of her life and live a better one, hopefully with him. She has not had a very good life, and now finds herself in an abusive relationship.

Every time something happens to her, she runs to Archer for support and comfort, but never for love. When Archer finds a friend in Evan, the fact that Vivian may never love him the way he loves her, has started to become realized. When he opens his mind up to how much Evan cares, his own emotional needs are finally getting to be met.

The murder scenes become more intense as well as each one happens. Archer has been carefully planning for a long time, how to make them all look like accidents. He is very calm when questioned by the police because of his connections with all of the people and until things start getting out of control we see a very calm and intellectual person in Archer. But as his hit list becomes shorter and his attraction to Evan becomes stronger, things begin spinning out of control, fast.

It was like watching a movie, the events and plot twists all add up to an intense and unexpected ending. A deep story about relationships, family and hate.

Paperback, 260 pages

Expected publication: December 6th 2011 by Entangled Publishing

ISBN 139781937044749

Rosie Black is back and so is the danger. She had hoped after destroying the Helios base on Mars and exposing their part in MalX epidemic that they would disappear. If only fairy-tales came true. As if Helios wanting her dead wasn’t enough, someone has leaked footage of her administering the MalX cure to her Dad. Now the Senate want a piece of her too. Once again Rosie must try to save her own life and the lives of those she loves. And deal with the rivalry between the two hot guys who both want to claim her heart. It’s going to be one hell of a ride.

Equinox certainly pumps up the action, amps up the mistrust and has our hearts in our mouths the whole time.

Rosie is stronger, smarter and more determined than ever to bring Helios down once and for all- and once again she’s bringing the fight to their doorstep. This time Rosie is leading the charge rather than finding herself suddenly wrapped up in the fight.  There is no Space adventure in this volume; instead we spend our time exploring a bit more of post-melt Australia, and the adventure is just as terrifying and delightful. Most of our favourite players from the first volume are back and there are plenty of new faces to discover. Although some of them will have you wanting to turn on your heel and run as fast and far as you can. It’s also an absolute brainteaser trying to figure out just who can be trusted and will keep you guessing right up to the very end.

If like me, you’re often wary of a sequel especially after such a stellar first instalment, Morgan has not let us down. The character development is just as strong; the plot is still as twisted and complex as its predecessor and still packs the same knockout punch. Morgan’s world is rich with schemes, adventure and a beautiful tale of first love and ultimates sacrifices. Equinox easily lives up to Genesis and takes the story another notch higher. The cliff-hanger ending surely assures that Rosie will be back- and no doubt better than ever.

The  Rosie Black Chronicles-Equinox

Lara Morgan

Walker Books

ISBN:978-1-921529-40-5

Released November 1^st 2011