Carol RiggsReseñas

I don't read a young adult fantasy novel that deserves 5 stars every year. This one does. In its fantasy world, words literally are weapons that can be picked out of peope's mnds and stockpiled for use as weapons. It takes two 17-year-olds, doubles, a princess who builds robot pets and a factory girl who's already made it to quality control inspector, to find the way to use the hoarded words to save the kingdom.

I especially liked the characterizations, especially of the girls as dedicated to their own public and private goals so that we can believe they've developed the special abilities aduts don't have, and the hilarious "dialogue" of the robot pets' artificial intelligence.

Morgan Dey is a fascinating character. Her concern for her family’s welfare and need for money drives her to participate in the reducing program at The Body Institute and also gives us a glimpse of her true nature. It would have been easy to lose herself in the body her mind inhabits, but she remains Morgan and works hard to find out what is really happening with the Institute.

Filled with suspense, I wondered how the author would ever bring the various pieces of this mystery puzzle together, but she managed to give us a strong and satisfying ending.

So different from anything else I’ve read recently. Jay is a strong, easy-to-like character. Although relatively naïve at the beginning of the story, he had to grow quickly when he discovered a horrendous secret that changed everything he knew and loved.

I had no idea where the author was going with this impossible situation. However, she managed with great skill and cleverness to provide the necessary twists and turns that took us through a surprising path to a satisfying ending.

This delightful tale of a teenaged human girl raised by ogres was filled with hair-raising adventures, nails-biting worries, magical enchantments, things gone wrong, and a splash of love.

The fast-moving pace kept me reading and Juniper's discoveries about the human world and the mystery surrounding a magical wand added to the fun!

I think I liked this sequel even more than The Body Institute, if that's possible. Full of nails-biting action, mystery, and peril, my concern for the characters never faltered.

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: The Grassy Sea

Thank you to Carol Riggs for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

Lyndra wants more out of life than strict routines and prearranged futures. She wants to explore, to have a chance to see who she is outside of guild life. But her guild family views her desire for more as different and wild. When tempers rise within the guild, brought on by sickness and the threat of attack from the sea-dwelling Grassians, Lyndra might just find her wish to see beyond her village granted. But at a terrible cost. Grassians begin to kidnap her fellow guildmates, and long-buried secrets arise. Lyndra’s life will be forever changed.

This coming of age story will win over readers young and old. Lyndra struggles to remain true to herself as she realizes what she wants out of life. Being different labels her as being difficult, even if her intentions are never wicked. Many readers will be able to relate to the pressure she feels trying to fit in. And even as Lyndra tries her best to be one of the crowd, circumstances will force her to reevaluate her life. And while her journey will be difficult, fraught with danger and harsh realizations, in the end, she will find herself.

The Grassy Sea is one of those books that shows readers how long standing feuds can be devastating to hold onto. As Lyndra becomes involved with the feud between her guild and the Grassians, she realizes just how damaging preconceived assumptions can be. She sees the differences between her own people and the Grassians, but instead of wanting war, she wants peace. However, hatred and resentment are hard emotions to overcome, especially when they have been stewing for years on both sides.

Reading Lyndra’s determination to make amends and solve everyone’s problems is an emotional ride. She’s a passionate young woman, and while not all of her choices are for the better, she truly does believe she is trying to do what is right. She carries so much on her shoulders, and at times I wish she could see that it wasn’t all her responsibility.

I enjoyed this dive into a new world and the characters involved within it. The themes of friendship and understanding that developed throughout the story won me over. If you are looking for an easy read with great characters and worldbuilding, then look no further than The Grassy Sea.

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: The Orange Tree

Thank you to Carol Riggs for providing me with a copy for an honest review!

As a young child, Juniper crossed the boundary between human and ogre lands. But instead of eating her an ogress took her into their home and raised her as an ogre. But Juniper has always wondered about the humans on the other side. A pact of peace forbids the two races from crossing over into each other’s lands. The only exception is when the ogres are allowed to collect their tribute from the humans. When Juniper finally has a chance to bring the tribute back from the human lands, she meets a boy named Nolan. And as her curiosity with both Nolan and the human lands increases, she’ll find her world turned upside down.

The Orange Tree is a retelling of the fairy tale, The Bee and The Orange Tree. And it is chock full of lessons wrapped up in imaginative storytelling. Juniper is a girl who cares deeply for her ogre kin, even if they don’t always see eye to eye. And you can’t help but feel her frustration when the ogres don’t listen to her wants and needs. It’s hard for them to see beyond their own beliefs and understand that Juniper isn’t weak and helpless. Is she smaller than them? Yes, but she has a sharp mind and a kind heart. Put the two together and you have a character who will do just about anything to protect those she cares about. Even if it’s at the cost of her safety.

Living among the ogres, Juniper has learned to not judge people by their appearances and to understand why people act a certain way. But not everyone can have such a wide-eyed view of the world. And as Juniper’s two worlds begin to collide, she will find out how disastrous assumptions can be. Misunderstanding is one of the central themes throughout The Orange Tree. As the story develops and Juniper tries to bridge the gap between ogre and human communication, she learns some people will never change. They will hold on to their deep seeded hatred, unable to forgive the sins of the past.

Another lesson to be learned while reading this novel is how complex and tricky lies can become. When Nolan is trapped in ogre territory Juniper has a choice. Tell the truth and let him be eaten or hide him away for his safety. You can’t fault Juniper for lying to save Nolan’s life. But as she will soon realize, if you build on your lies and continue to spread them, it will lead to horrible results.

The Orange Tree is a fun read filled with great lessons for young adults. With a combination of admirable characters, artful storytelling, and a touch of romance, you’ll be sure to enjoy every minute of it.

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Bottled

Thank you to Carol Riggs for providing me with a copy for an honest review!

Adeelah Naji has been trapped as a genie for a thousand years, fulfilling the greedy wishes of her masters. All she wants is to return to her life with the one boy she fell in love with, but her life of servitude has torn them apart. And as much as she disdains the life she has been entrapped in, it would be worse to fall into the hands of a man named Faruq. To be his genie would mean aiding him in murder to extend his life. For centuries she has barely escaped him, but her luck is about to run out.

If you’ve been following my reviews, then you know I am a stickler for character development. Adeelah has a long way to go when you first open Bottled. She’s a girl pining after her lost love and has reserved herself to being a genie. But as Carol Riggs takes you through each of her masters, you slowly watch a spark grow within Adeelah. And watching her realize the potential she had within herself was worth every page.

But Adeelah isn’t the only character that brought this book to life. Adeelah’s master Nathan was a fantastic character to pair up with her. The chemistry between Nathan and Adeelah was pure fun to follow. Through Nathan, Adeelah had the chance to learn how to form friendships and enjoy life. The awkwardness she felt while adjusting to modern society was cute, and I can see many teens connecting to her attempts at social interaction. But despite her struggles, Nathan and his friends never once made her feel unwelcome. They strived to bond with her and bring her into the fold.

This is a great book for teens interested in fantasy novels. There are great themes found throughout the novel. And there is everything a young fantasy reader could hope for: action, magic, a little love, and a lot of entertainment.

Nothing momentous. Nothing memorable. Not a lot of character development. But I enjoyed the story and found it easy to read.

Interesting questions raised but uneven pacing of the plot.

Completed 04/08/18

I was very happy to be able to offer a blurb for this! "The Body Institute is a roller coaster of a book! This fast-paced sci-fi thriller grapples with issues of identity and scientific technology run amok in a society only two steps ahead of our own, while scrutinizing an all-encompassing obsession with being thin which is very much part of the here and now. Readers will love the twists and turns and be prompted to question their own relationship to technology, body image and the ever-growing power of mega-corporations."

I must disclose up front that I received a free copy of this eBook from the author in return for an honest review, which unfortunately I had said I would complete some weeks ago but I only finished reading it after returning from an all-too-short and all-too-busy holiday.

I have classified the book as "Science Fiction & Fantasy", and I note that Amazon classifies it as:
"Teen & Young Adult > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Fairy Tales & Folklore
Teen & Young Adult > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Paranormal & Urban
Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy
Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Contemporary"

What none of these classifications reveal is that the book is also part romance and part thriller, albeit one which isn't explicit or gory due to its target audience, teens and young adults, mainly female. Parents have no worries if their child is reading quality fiction like this.

Speaking as an over-the-hill male I must admit I approached it with some trepidation as the idea of a book about a genie forced to work for a succession of greedy masters while still in love with the boy she was, or rather is, in love with hundreds of years earlier when she was still human. Too many episodes of "I Dream Of Jeannie" as a child perhaps.

It wasn't long before I was totally engrossed in it however and Adeelah became a living, breathing, feeling girl who just happened to be trapped in a bottle and forced to do rather distasteful things for whoever possesses her bottle home at the time.

And as the reader learns more of Adeelah's predicament and history, we are drawn into sharing her hopes, wishes and plans to be free and reunited with her lover Karim. When it is revealed that it was Karim's father Faruq who trapped her in her glass prison, and why Faruq is also seeking to possess her again, the revelation of the true horror of being forced to do things you don't want to becomes all too real.

When Adeelah finally gets a kind master, Nathan, who starts to treat her as a real person again, and uses his wishes to help others rather than himself, Adeelah can't help but feel something for him while still hoping to be reunited with Karim.

I won't spoil the plot, but as Adeelah, Karim, Aruq and Nathan and his friends and family all start to come together the consequences of their actions become more dangerous, even deadly, the book becomes unputdownable and you find yourself stretching out your reading time to learn what happens next.

Highly recommended, and if you are young or young at heart add an extra half-star onto my rating of four out of five.

In a future where the gap between the rich and everyone else is even wider, the government taxes conditions like smoking and obesity. Morgan Dey, worried about precarious family finances, caused in part by her grandfather's refusal to sign up for healthcare, followed by her grandmother's death and accompanying bills, signed up to be a Reducer,--a healthy person who has their brain mapped and saved to a chip while they take over the body of someone needing to lose a lot of weight.
Her first experience is successful and as she leaves the Body Institute, Morgan briefly meets an attractive guy who is also a Reducer. They swap contact information and she heads home.
When a second opportunity to be a Reducer arises, this time living with the person's family in a luxury setting, the temptation to accept is huge, but her family has reservations, even though the payout would almost eliminate the family debt. Morgan pushes her parents to agree and she's off on a six month assignment, but this time there are some complications. At first, she can rationalize the residual memories and feelings as minor complications, but things get sticky and scary in a hurry.
She and the hot guy she met are forced to do some desperate and risky things after an unexpected situation leaves them in a position neither ever imagined happening. How they navigate everything makes for a fast and gripping read. Teens liking a well crafted dystopian thriller will gobble this one up.

The premise of The Body Institute sounded very interesting to me, similar to Starters (which was a great book) but with the weight loss twist. Unfortunately it didn't live up to its potential. It was a good book, but with such an interesting subject, it could've been much better.

I had trouble connecting with the main character, Morgan. For some reason I just couldn't relate to her and the way she spoke. When a book is written in first person, I feel like I really need to like that character's "voice" because that's our narrator for the whole story. And when I don't, it becomes a problem for me and it hinders my enjoyment of the book. Nevertheless, I kept on reading in order to find out what the big conspiracy was, because in this kind of setting you KNOW there is some kind of conspiracy behind the body swapping. However, this also felt quite anticlimactic. Even the romance which is usually my favorite part of any book had not effect on me whatsoever. It's such a shame because I love Entangled Teen and I have adored so many of their books, but I guess you can't like them all. The Body Institute just wasn't one of my favorites.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Can't wait to read this one!

Can't wait to read this one!