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40x40

Merissa (13178 KP) rated Heart of Outcasts in Books

Dec 11, 2023  
Heart of Outcasts
Heart of Outcasts
Nicole Silver | 2023 | LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
HEART OF OUTCASTS is part of the Wolves of Autumn series, but I have no idea how many stories have gone before, or if this is a spinoff. And do you know what? It didn't matter one bit as I was thoroughly taken with this story.

Justin has had it hard, tougher than most people can contend with. He is still standing - just - and thinks a run will do him good, and put his problems on the back burner for at least a little while. What he doesn't expect is to be attacked by a werewolf and changed. Bjarni is the one who finds him and takes him back to their pack. The connection between the two is instantaneous but Bjarni is straight... isn't he?

Oh, man. I loved these two. I loved how everyone was with Justin, who so desperately needed that affection. And I really really loved how it provided him the strength to make Bjarni court him. Too many times, I've read where one of the MCs is hurt, the other says 'sorry', and that's all. All forgiven. Justin's behaviour was completely believable, and I loved it all.

Justin was healing from years of abuse, and Bjarni, the same but in different ways. Their past was very different, but hopefully, their future will be bright. There is a dark moment where Justin dreams and then remembers something that was done to him when he was turned. This was incredibly horrible and I adored how it was written and everyone's reactions to it.

This was a fantastic story that I loved and would love to return to this world. And catch up with Justin, Bjarni, Magne and Su, Thorstein and Raina, plus all the others. Absolutely brilliant and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dec 11, 2023
  
40x40

Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Ada: Legend of a Healer in Books

Apr 27, 2018  
AL
Ada: Legend of a Healer
R.A. McDonald | 2011
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ada has the unique ability of being able to heal anything she touches. Having lived in the foster care system her whole life, she finally gets the opportunity to live with her aunt, Jessie, who is also a healer, and explains her special ability. But Ada and Jessie have different viewpoints on a healer's responsibility, and Ada decides she's had enough. She takes off on her own heading to Paris with only an address and a photograph to attempt to find her mother, who she discovers isn't dead.

There's just one problem: There's a man who wants to find her and use her as his personal fountain of youth.

Reviewing self-published books is a tricky business. There's a wide range of them: the really crappy ones that make the editor inside me want to cry, the mediocre ones that are just missing a story, and then the occasional gem that I'm so glad I managed to get my hands on. I've had one or two other gems: Ada makes the list, and is pretty high up on it.

I loved Ada's story. I read it almost completely in one sitting. I liked Ada, and admired her will power and strength. We didn't see eye to eye on everything, and I thought she was immature and disrespectful at times, but I could still relate to her well enough that I couldn't hate her for it. About halfway through the book, some characters were introduced that I didn't expect to stay in the story, simply because of the way they were brought in. But isn't that the way our lives work? We meet someone and aren't sure if we'll ever really see them again, but they end up as our friends, and sometimes it's someone really special? That was Ada and Daniel. Daniel is going to have to be added to my list of literary crushes. Not only is he good looking, he's a "bad boy" and a sweetheart at the same time. And he's got a delicious smile. And he does Parkour. And he's French.

The writing was clear and descriptive and easy to understand. It wasn't perfect and there were a few irritating sections with poor grammar, but it didn't distract from the overall piece enough to bring down the star rating.

One of the things I really liked was the pacing. Sometimes a book has an interesting plot, but it takes way too long for things to actually happen that you fall asleep, or have to read an entire series just to get the same amount of plot you're looking for in a single novel (coughtwilightcough). The pacing was really fast in Ada, almost to the point where I wished it was just a little slower so I could really concentrate on what Ada was thinking and feeling.

There was one very tiny part that I didn't like. At one point, Ada tries to practice healing herself, so she takes a pair of scissors to her arm. I thought this was completely inappropriate and very risky, because through Ada's interior monologue, it almost seemed to show self-cutting in a good light. Yes she was practicing healing herself and learning to ignore pain, and trying to figure out her power, and Ada thought it through well enough that the reader would understand why she was doing it, but it just seemed bold and risky. Because of that, I wouldn't want young young adults to read it—I feel like it would make them uncomfortable. I also can't help but wonder what kind of influence that will have on young readers.

Scattered through the book were some truly beautiful illustrations. I found myself flipping through them and just staring at them. They have a pen-and-ink with watercolor sort of feel to them: very lose and impressionistic, almost dreamlike, but with wild pen and scratches thrown through to add definition. Here are two of my favorites (very poor quality photos, though, so I apologize ahead of time).

All in all, I was very pleased and excited about Ada: Legend of a Healer, and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Content/Recommendation: Some swearing, small reference to self-abuse. Ages 16+