Book Review: Elixir Bound by Katie L. Carroll

Elixir Bound
Author: Katie L. Carroll
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Fantasy
Released: August 31st 2012
Review Source: Author
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) Katora Kase is next in line to take over as guardian to a secret and powerful healing Elixir. Now she must journey into the wilds of Faway Forest to find the ingredient that gives the Elixir its potency. Even though she has her sister and brother, an old family friend, and the handsome son of a mapmaker as companions, she feels alone.

It is her decision alone whether or not to bind herself to the Elixir to serve and protect it until it chooses a new guardian. The forest hosts many dangers, including wicked beings that will stop at nothing to gain power, but the biggest danger Katora may face is whether or not to open up her heart to love.

I have never read anything like this book and I was quite surprised to say the least. At first it was a little slow to me because of course you need to meet the family and what the family does for a living. The names were different and I was not used to the fantasy type of characters.

The book starts out in a small town on the outskirts of Faway Forrest called Tussar, at the Kase family farm. The Kase family grew Essenberry vines on their farm. Katora is the daughter that is to take over the family farm, but what she doesn’t know is she is also to be guardian over the elixir that is a magical healing elixir. Her father, whom she calls Pop, lets her in on the secret but there are things he cannot let her know. Katora must find out for herself on the journey she embarks in the Faway Forest. Katora is not alone on this journey, her siblings, a longtime family friend of the Anni demick species and a friend of the family’s son all embark on the hunt for the elixir. The Faway Forest is not a forest you would want your children to go play in. There are many dangers hidden in Faway.

This book has many twists and turns, battles, not only physical battles but Katora has her own battles within herself as well. It is also a very cute love story. I would recommend this to anybody young or old. I found the plot very well written and the book is easy to follow. I literally could not put this book down. I just had to know what was going to happen next. I really hope to read more about Katora and the Kase family in the future.

Book Review: Colors like Memories by Meradeth Houston + Giveaway

Colors Like Memories
Author: Meradeth Houston
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Released: May 11th 2012
Review Source: Author
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) Julia has a secret: she killed the guy she loved. It was an accident—sort of.

Julia is a Sary, the soul of a child who died before taking her first breath. Without this 'breath of life' she and others like her must help those on the verge of suicide. It's a job Julia used to enjoy, until the accident that claimed her boyfriend’s life—an accident she knows was her fault. If living with the guilt weren't enough, she's now assigned to help a girl dealing with the loss of her mother, something Julia's not exactly the best role model for. If she can't figure out a way to help her, Julia's going to lose her position in the Sary, something she swore to her boyfriend would never happen.

Colors like Memories was a book with a message. Meradeth Houston's story, which at one point brought tears to my eyes, was a story of love. Love shared by families, love shared between friends and the unbreakable love between soul-mates along with the thrilled of romantic love to be discovered.

The beginning of the book explains the world of the Sary which is made up of souls of a lost child who died before taking his or her first breath. It is a Sary's job to help humans who are hovering on the verge of suicide. But the Sary rules have no flexibility and even an accidental sighting of a Sary's true form means that that Sary is released from the Sary world. To be released is to die a mortal death.

We are introduced to this world through Julia's eyes. Julia enjoyed the life of a Sary until an accident took the life of her soul-mate and companion, Frederick. Julia and Derek came to choose the life of the Sary together on the same day. They were together through their education and after petitioning the Sary leaders were given permission to remain together as companions in their future assignments.

After centuries together as immortals helping humans through dark times they are given an assignment in The Americas in 1862. This meant that Derek would be stepping into one of the infantry units and going to war while Julia would become a nurse trying to heal the wounds of the soldiers on the front line.

As we leave the past we are introduced to Julia's present day assignment, Marcy, a young teenager who has lost her mother to a drunk driver and her father as he retreats from the loss into bottle after bottle of alcohol. Her relationship with her boyfriend, John, is abusive and dysfunctional. She is truly lost and Julia ( who in this assignment is a teenager attending school with Marcy and has become Marcy's best friend) is struggling to bring her out of her depression and grief. As Julia tries to show Marcy reasons to live, she struggles herself with the unbearable loss of Derek even a hundred and fifty years after his mortal death.

When Julia meets Edison, a new boy in school, she is shaken by a deep feeling of "knowing" him. Edison reaches out to Julia and soon she realizes that he is also Sary but his assignment is her. As she tries to deal with the guilt she feels because of her attraction to Edison she also battles with resenting his help.

As the story swings back and forth between the past and present Julia and Edisons lives have converged in the past as well as the present and it will take the two of them together to help save Marcy.

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