Two for Tuesday

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Title ~ Dream Robbers

Series ~ Sky Elves, #1

Author ~ RC Scott

Publisher ~ RC Scott

Published ~ 1 December 2011

Genre ~ MG | Fantasy

Pages ~ 193

My Rating ~ 3 bites

Greedy Dream Robbers have damned the river of dreams causing children the world over to stop dreaming. These aren’t just any ol’ dreams though. They’re the dreams of who the children will become and if the children don’t dream them…well, it’s not a good thing. Nature Elves are the only ones who can fix this problem, but the adults Elves in the Gypsy Village have been tricked and sent off on a false trail. It’s up to 12 of the Elf Children to follow the river, discover why the dreams have stopped and fix the problem before it’s too late for children everywhere.

This is a cute story for children. Even for adults though I found it went on a bit too long for me. Nature Elves each have their own special powers: thunder, lightning, fire, snow and rain and on their quest they have to stay together and work together to make it through obstacles. It’s a long difficult journey and while they are mostly happy and easy going there is some bickering amongst themselves. The further they get away from their Village the harder it is for them to remember what they were doing on this hard journey. They have to rely on each other and it’s not always smooth sailing. All-in-all a charming and inventive tale.

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Title ~ Between Seasons

Author ~ Aida Brassington

Publisher ~ Green Needle Press

Published ~ 30 October 2011

Genre ~ Paranormal | Romance

Pages ~ 193

My Rating ~ 3 bites

Patrick Boyle is 19 and his birthdate has come up in the Vietnam lottery. He is one day away from having to report for his physical before heading off to boot camp when he takes a tumble down the steps in his home and dies. That’s one way to get out of going to war. As he figures out that he’s really dead, Patrick then becomes confused as to why he’s still hanging out at home. Shouldn’t he be off to the great beyond? And he keeps wondering as the years pass and he has no way to leave the house. When Sara Oswald buys the house 40 years later, Patrick finally has something to break up the monotony, but when she starts channeling his memories things get really weird. What does it all mean? And can a ghost fall in love?

This story started out with an excellent premise. Patrick has a freak fall and now he’s a ghost stuck in his house. No matter what he tries he can’t leave the confines of the house. His mother can’t face staying there, so they move, but don’t sell. It’s a wonder Patrick didn’t go nutsy-poo being on his own for 40 years with little to keep him occupied. When Sara moves in things get even more interesting. And then…blerg. Patrick falls in love with Sara, Sara falls in love with Patrick and it turns into a sickly lovefest. “No, I love you more.” “No, I love you more.” Ad nauseam. Just shoot me now.  They don’t bother trying to figure out anything that’s happening to Patrick. Oh, no. They’re too busy fawning all over each other. It went from being an exciting read to an absolute snoozefest. The bitchy sister made me want to snap her neck, Sara’s spinelessness made me want to shake her and Patrick’s obsession with Sara made me want to castrate him. And the ending? Dafuq?! I can only say that this story was quite the letdown for me.