Reviews of Curiosity Quills Books Part 1

I have, over time, read and reviewed a fair few Curiosity Quills titles, so here are my thoughts from those books. Hopefully you will spot a few of these authors this month! To read more, as well as find purchase links, click on the Reviews tab above.


***Full Disclosure: I was the Acquiring Editor for this book***

Sharon is an awesome storyteller. What I love most about this book is that the characters are so alive and even kind of nuts. They are dark wizards that want to be good, and so struggle with all their might to be good.

Destruction follows David, husband of Amanda, and father of teenagers Jude, Patrick, and Emmy. It's starts when David is called to tell him his long lost children, Xavier and Evangeline, have been found, but their mother, Crystal, has been murdered. He is to take custody of the two teens, that his wife knows nothing about.
When he brings them home, the expected hell breaks loose when his wife is furious about his affair from years before, and their children are furious at his betrayal. But the two new siblings reveal something about them which they didn't know; they are all dark wizards and witches.
The children all start acting out and using their new found powers recklessly.

This story is heartfelt and gripping. It's so human even as the characters struggle with their magical sides. With such a vast cast, Bayliss has done a fabulous job at keeping all their stories real and emotional. Through all their struggles and flaws you feel for them and hope they can resolve their problems.
I can't wait for the next book!


**Full Disclosure: I was the Acquiring Editor for this book.**

If you liked Destruction, you're going to love Watch Me Burn. The Vandergraff's are somehow holding together after all the revelations and pain from book 1. Together, they learn and discover more about their powers.
But most significantly, in WMB, we are introduced to summer wizards and the Prescotts, a summer wizard family. When the youngest daughter of the Prescott family goes missing, David feels a magical pull to find her, and soon, so do his children.
Meanwhile, Amanda has secretly been seeing their oldest son who was asked to leave after doing some down right stupid and dangerous things. Amanda is trying to remove the darkness from him, but the side affects are heart wrenching.
The kids are learning more and more about their powers, especially Patrick who finds he has surprisingly powerful abilities. He sees visions of the missing girl, among other things. Emmy goes looking for the missing girl and meets her brother, who she is unsure if she can trust or not since he is a summer wizard, but she is drawn to him anyway.
The plot twists and turns as the family find themselves drawn in, but distracted at the same time. David is desperately fighting to protect his family, while the four kids build stronger bonds and loyalty to one another that could save them.
I couldn't put this baby down! Bayliss takes the December People Series to a new level that you won't want to miss, and leaves you begging for the next installment.





I love that this wasn't a werewolf book. With vampires and werewolves flooding the market, having a shifter book instead felt... better.
In the beginning, Arionna, understandably, is pretty depressed after her mother's death. Then she meets Dace. She still struggles through her mother's death, but he helps her see a light at the end of the tunnel, but he also introduces her to a world she has forgotten exists.
I enjoyed this book. I love that it uses Norse Mythology and is based on some familiar characters and legends. I also enjoyed the connection to the wolf pack.
The internal dialogue gets heavy in a few places that, for me, really bogged down the pace and became distracting and repetitive. But at about halfway, this seemed to decrease, and although still present in places, I found it didn't affect the pace too much after that.
Aside from that, the concept if interesting, and often sad in places. I'm looking forward to seeing where the next book goes.



Talk about a cliffhanger ending! But no spoilers here.
Fall continues right where Fade finishes; with Arionna recovering in the hospital. Dace is at Arionna's side to help her recover, but Skoll and Hati are still around.
Like book 1, this one was a little heavy on the internal dialogue for my taste. But I like that it delves deeper into Norse Mythology.
It also develops Ronan's character, which I enjoyed. He's a good old fashioned bad boy, with a hidden good guy side.
I wouldn't call this fast paced, in fact, I found the first half a bit slow, but once Arionna leaves with Ronan and Fuki, things start to really get interesting until you reach that cliffhanger ending I mentioned. I flicked the page on my kindle and thought, "No! You can't leave it like that!" It definitely leaves you needing to know what happens next.






I've been dying to read this book since I saw the cover reveal. It definitely didn't disappoint. I loved Twist from the first page. While Dodger is exactly what you expect, an arrogant jerk, Twist is the exact opposite. I love that he hasn't been corrupted by the horrible world they live in, and still holds onto hope and compassion.
New York is a messed up place, and Dodger and Twist work hard to survive the best they can. Unfortunately for them, they get caught up in a game of life or death caused by the poor choices and greed of others. All throughout, the boys stay true to themselves, and most importantly, each other, even when things threaten to be torn apart.
I was a little disappointed by the end, until I saw it's book 1! Yay! I want book 2 now. I don't want to leave spoilers, but there's plenty left open and wanting to be resolved and uncovered

 I loved this book. A bit of history, a bit of romance and a great heroine.
Bobbi starts out in search of her brother, Robert, who went missing during the Battle of Gettysburg. In her heart she knows he's still alive, so disguises herself as a boy to join the Union Army.
After an adventurous train ride, then journey on foot, Bobbi finds herself with the 27th and is assigned to bunk with Toby. Toby is seriously my new heart throb. He's sweet and optimistic despite the war and carnage he is surrounded by. Being from Texas, he has abandoned his home and family to fight for the Union army. This alone reflects how big of a heart he has, and how determined he is.
Bobbi also makes friends with a nurse, Cora, who almost immediately picks up the fact that she is female. Cora helps her hide certain female habits and gets her through some tough times adjusting to army life.
There are other great characters too; sweet Woody, brave Kenny and many more.
All in all, an enjoyable read. Being Aussie, I don't know a whole lot about the American Civil War, so I used good old google maps to help me with the locations.  I believe this would be a good read for teens who have no real interest in history as a means to pique their interest. Bobbi is strong and easy to relate to, especially as she goes through her emotional dilemmas that would naturally come up during war time.


 Theocracide follows Jason Hunt, a rising star athlete with a girlfriend who he adores and a promising life. Except the world isn't right and he's the key to fixing it.
I liked Jason. He felt very real and honest. He's been trained by Jay his 'father' whom he believes is a paranoid conspiracy nut but he learns Jay is so much more than that. As a result of this training, he is hardened and adapts easily, and often surprises himself how easily, to what he finds himself facing.
There were a few inconsistencies where I was like, what? But once the world was established it seemed to smooth over.
I'd really be interested to see if Wymore does a sequel to this. Although it concludes nicely, it does have an open ending.
Not being a sci-fi girl, I did actually enjoy this. There was a steady flow of action and plot development, and a hint of romance... my particular weakness!***Note: I was the Acquiring Editor for this book***