Krista Wagner's Blog, page 7

A Strange Universe

Ray Bradbury's storytelling talent far exceeds most. His imagination is as out there as the planet Mars that this collection of short stories circulates around.Bradbury's enticing tales swirl around you in mesmerizing eccentric ways, some which are outright chilling.His stories open doors into thoughts you never knew existed, into a world where anything is possible. What is especially amazing here is how advanced his ideas are--the technology he creates is close to where we are now (versus the 1940's in which this was written) but far exceed what we have created.In these separate but eerily similar tales, he exposes the human insecurities and temptations that befall us while spinning us into realms of possible impossibility that will plunge you into profound depths of contemplation.

YA Supernatural Mystery

🎄⋇⋆✦⋆⋇Celebrate Christmas with this mystery!⋇⋆✦⋆⋇　

Cassi Is In A Coma, a YA supernatural mystery

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...

"A book that will keep you awake until you're finished"

YA Thriller Mystery .99c

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　Book #1 in the Small Town Series is .99c for just a few more weeks. *New Cover *Newly Revised *Exclusive Bonus features!!!｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

https://www.amzn.com/Intent-Small-Tow...

Veteran's Paperback Giveaway

#HappyBirthdayMarines #HappyVeteransDay Special gift for a veteran--thank you for your service!

I am donating 3 signed copies of my psychological thriller SHROUDED MEMORY that deals with the realities of PTSD and trauma. Comment if you are a veteran or want to gift a veteran (domestic only).

Biggest Twist Ever

SO yet another fascinating YA mystery with four suite mates. Figuring out who the psycho is proves to be quite the challenge.Diane Hoh has this incredible way with words that pulls you in and keeps you intrigued no matter what is happening on the page. The prologue hook is absorbing, and all the way through you are wondering just who might be responsible for a previous murder.Each girl seems suspicious, some more than others. Subtle clues fix themselves into each plot point until we ourselves are left scratching our heads. That's how good Hoh writes the story.And then we get to the finale. Wow! A total shocker. You will never see it coming. My only complaint is the very last page. I'm not sure how Hoh wants us to interpret it. Is it meant to be a cliffhanger or a simple casual moment?Hmmm. . .well done and worth the read.

Who Does She See?

Jody goes on a weekend getaway at a ski resort with a group of strangers. Her best friend Kate is unable to make it, but she encourages Jody to go along anyway because she doesn't want her to miss out on the most incredible ski resort out there.There were two issues I had with the story. One, nothing suspenseful or mysterious happens until halfway through the book. Ellis takes too long focusing on this group of strangers without giving us any intriguing details about them. Two, everybody hates popular girl Leahna with such vicious hatred that it is concerning and not well justified.Aside from those two issues, the story functions quite well once the mystery begins. Jody is certainly the most likeable character given that she is untainted by this closeknit group of friends and their prejudice against Leahna. Also admirable is how she persists spying through the window of Leahna's cabin once she sees her involved in an altercation with an unknown visitor. Despite the vivid hate that the rest of the group has for her, namely because she discards boys' feeling so easily, Jody decides for herself that Leahna is worth looking out for, especially after she gets Jody help when she sprains her ankle and is thereafter bedridden for the rest of the trip.A bit of a Hitchcockian "Rear Window" appeal, the story brings about a good complex energy. We get to be with Jody through what quickly becomes an uncertain few days holed up in a snowbound weekend with an injured ankle. Staying with a bunch of strangers doesn't help, and they all seem suspicious in one way or another when it comes to their candid emotions toward Leahna, who we actually never really meet. The most we get to see is a peripheral view of her when she comes to Jody's aid and then a filtered look through her dark room. This leaves her character both literally and metaphorically in the shadows and makes uncovering her murder that much more fascinating.The sounds and sights that Jody is exposed to while all alone in the cabin (as the others go out) are enough to keep you on edge and suck you into a tangled web of mystery.Lots of red herrings are thrown in and guessing the culprit is virtually impossible in this YA thriller.

Snowflakes and Sparks

This was a fun, sweet Christmas comedy read with a splash of romance.Suzie is reluctant to go back to Old Pine Cove. After all, a decade ago, she made a fool of herself there and ruined the start of a promising relationship. Sure enough, the small town hasn't forgotten her gaffe, giving us a story filled with hilarity and heart.I enjoyed Suzie, the main character. She handles people's rejection quite well. And for all the pressure on her to get back with Alex and the off remarks about her prior mishap, she manages to hold her ground.Another thing that impressed me was how stable-minded Suzie was in spite of the temptation to be with Alex. She didn't act like a sappy fool, but used discernment to remain emotionally strong and not allow herself to physically give in to lust, making the romantic aspect very appealing.I didn't care for Dean, her best friend, too much. He didn't seem like a necessary character and his flamboyancy was a bit annoying. I thought the story would have been much better had it cut his character out and focused more on Addy as a secondary character/mentor to Suzie, especially as she was in the same vicinity as Suzie and could affect the situation more.There were a couple of developmental issues; what was the fate of two particular characters in the end? One acts bizarrely toward Suzie, but it's never explained while another does something horrific and doesn't face the consequences.I would like to see even more of the romance too as I felt like it got pushed to the side a bit. All in all, this is a fun lighthearted read with some sweet endearing romance.

Time Travel Fun Mystery

A fun and unique read! Salter brings humor and credibility to a out-of-sorts-paced mystery for Weston the cowboy that is filled with hilarious moments of conflicting eras. The historical references are well-researched, Weston is loads of fun, the plot intrigues, and he leads us with the perfect cliffhanger for book #2!

Not Clean or Sweet

The writing style is great. The energy of the plot is good too with a promising premise. But to tout this as Christian Romance, or even a Sweet one, went too far. The main character, having never been kissed, kisses a guy after knowing him for less than a day, then when she meets another guy, she catches him naked and stares at his body, lusting after it, and starts to dry hump him later. I stopped at that point. This story leans on the racier side of romance as it details scenes of nudity and graphic depictions of sexual liaisons. I was disappointed and surprised to find these things in the book. I would never have started to read it had I known.

Excellent Suspense

R.L. Stine is easily one of my favorite authors. I'm just disappointed that I didn't start reading him sooner. I have a lot of books to catch up on!This is definitely one of his stronger YA novels. The writing is tight, mature, and mysterious all the way through. The pool of suspects is wide. Stine pushes his reader into a frenzy of possibilities so that figuring out who the psycho is proves practically impossible.Maybe you'll figure out who the culprit is. I sure didn't. I was pleasantly surprised.The one issue I had was the way one of the characters knew Selena (the MC) so well, too well; I felt like that needed more explaining.The dangerous sitatuions are lively and engaging, so shocking, in fact, that you'll never look at a catwalk the same way again!