The way Marilee writes keeps you coming back for more and more! 0982175698 YA Coming of age story. Allie Emerson's story continues in this 2nd of 5 in the Unbidden Magic series. She learns more about her powers and the Moonstone. 0982175698 The sequel to Moonstone opens with Allie still without her powers. Allie is the chosen one, the girl who is the Star Seeker of an old gypsy prophecy. Her boyfriend Junior Martinez went on a trip to Mexico and still isn't back, and to beat it all, she has to attend school counseling sessions because of the big T (trauma) she had a while back. Then there is her dad, Mike Purdy, who still hadn't told his wife and kids about her. He is the one who is educating Allie about the prophecy and her new powers. He takes her to the Star Seeker meetings, where everyone there has the star on their palm.
Then there's the new boy at school, Beck Bradford. He's hot, he can heal Allie, and he's half demon. He and Allie become close, and he wants to fight all her battles. He helps her regain her powers and try to keep the moonstone safe. That's the pendant Allie wears and the Trimark, the darker polar opposite of the Star Seekers, wants it badly and they will do anything to get it, even kill.
The second book in the Unbidden Magic Series is absolutely wonderful! Allie's world is extended with the addition of more information about the prophecy and the addition of some unique and versatile characters. The action is page-turning and their are some gasp out loud surprises. I'm looking forward to the next in the series to see what happens in Allie's world next! Her supernatural world is expanding and she is learning how to find her place in it. Magically delicious! 0982175698 5 Stars:
Disclosure: I participate in reviews with Netgalley and an e-copy was provided to me by Netgalley and/or the publishers. No payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was not any obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed here are entirely mine and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist, or the readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
I like the cover to “Moon Rise” better than I did its predecessor “Moonstone”. It always nice to go back and look at the cover and take notice of the hints the author places on the cover. Such as the tree Allie buries the moonstone under which also have the wind chimes dangling from a branch. Just as with the first cover; the moonstone necklace is securely fitted around Allie’s neck. But what jumps out at me most is the moon. A lot of time is spent focusing on the moon and the power it holds. But my most present thought has to be when Allie and Faye sing the moon song as they did many times before when Allie was small.
Where Moon Rise was an exciting follow up to Moonstone the in the Unbidden Magic series, I was a little disappointed that Junior was ushered off to Mexico to become a soap opera star. I had expected Allie and Junior’s relationship to blossom and bloom in “Moon Rise”. However, I did stay disappointed for too long, when Brothers introduced us to the new transfer student who gives a new meaning to “bad boy”. I have to admit that I like the sequel better than the first. I was so hard to put down I finished it in one setting. Brother’s weaves a story in “Moon Rise” that is exciting and filled with twists and turns on almost every page. Allie is set on a path to learn more about her powers and the potential to uncover more secrets about her mother’s past is right in front of her but her grandfather, like Faye will reveal nothing.
Allie was stronger in “Moon Rise” Brother did an excellent job at growing her up. She might have been timid in the beginning but as the story progress we got to stronger more mature Allie as she faces her destiny head on. She grew to be more than just a fifteen year old with a marked fate. She became a strong equal in the war of good versus evil.
I also enjoyed the new characters the twins Beck and Nicole. What do you get when you mix a nun and succubus? You get the twins. Add some Shaman training and you get the irresistible swoon worthy Beck.
I was elated that Brothers brought Grandfather Claude into the mix. I was saddened to learn he has little time to live. Thinking he was there to bond and give Allie the missing information; I was a bit aggravated when he was as closed mouth as Faye.
I questioned Allie and Beck relationship a lot; I just didn’t understand the reason for the pretend boyfriend/girlfriend when they both were into each other. My only reasoning for this is Allie’s age. Brothers having made her so young is trying to skirt the line for a more realistic setting. By making a statement to young adults around the world by including the innocents of discovering the opposite sex for the first time.
In conclusion, I look forward to reading more installments of this series. I would definitely recommend” Moon Rise”, but only after you've read “Moonstone”. It a great young adult paranormal fiction novel full of mystery suspense and excitement that will keep you on the edge of your seat and leaving rushing to read “Moon Shadow”, Brother’s third installment of the Unbidden Magic Series.
My absolute favorite and will read again and again. I strongly recommend! It has outstanding qualities. The characters are wonderful and surprising and multi-dimensional. The writing is luring, engaging, and well-crafted enough to keep me interested from cover to cover and beyond. The plot is astonishing with twists and turns weaved into a well thought and planned story. There’s no pretense and romance was well balanced and done entirely correctly with properly distributed amounts of hints, behaviors and incredible, undeniable chemistry. Predictability is at an all-time low. With the exception of series based books that follow the same path but are just as good. Overall, Favorite, must read again, recommend!!! 0982175698 Disclosure: I received a free special eBook version of this series, including all four books in one, from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Synopsis Book 2: Moonrise: Her mom's still dating losers. Her boyfriend's gone back to Mexico. Dad still hasn't told his wife and kids that she exists. At school, the drama queens and bullies still rule. But worst of all for Allie Emerson--aka the Star Seeker of an old Gypsy prophecy--is that her powers have taken a hike. She can't read minds anymore. She can't move stuff just by looking at it. The other Star Seekers are counting on her psychic gifts more than ever, and the evil Tri-marks are closing in, eager to snatch her magic moonstone necklace while she's helpless. The hot new guy at school is ready and willing to fight her battles, but he comes with some wicked baggage. Dear Diary: I'm a little worried. My new BF is a demon. Welcome again to Allie Emerson's funny, scary, amazing, and always unpredictable life, as the girl voted least likely to save the world from evil.
My Thoughts: I found the quick transfer of Allie’s affections from Junior to Beck to be entirely appropriate and realistic for a high-school Sophomore (which, by my calculations, should be correct). I kind of hope Beck hangs around, but knowing high schoolers, I imagine Allie will have a new love interest by the next book.
I ran across one huge, gaping plot hole – in a “flashback” to the scene when Allie is hiding in Junior’s living room from Revelle, she claims she grabbed her moonstone before holding her palm up to the crucifix, which then moved - BBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTT Nope; Junior had already taken and hidden the moonstone at that point, and Allie was running without it. Important to pay attention to these details in a series! Also, it is obvious the writer didn’t actually go to a small high school, if she claims a student body of 89 couldn’t field an 11-man football team. In my senior year, counting the 8th graders, there were 79 students in the high school building – obviously there were probably about 50 or 60 that were actually high schoolers, 19 of which were in my Senior class. I can’t find my yearbook at the moment, but if I’m recalling correctly, there were around 20 or more boys on the team. More than enough to have both a junior and senior varsity squad with extras for sitting on the bench and for errand boys. In a small town, everyone who is physically capable goes out for football – if you don’t, you’re basically signed a document saying you wanted nothing to do with being popular. Obviously, just because the town is small doesn’t mean there won’t be enough for a football team. Also, while there are cliques, they aren’t as numerous as in a larger town – there is basically cool kids, and not cool kids. Among the cool kids are the jocks and tough-guys. Among the not-cool kids are the welfare kids and brains. In some ways it is simpler, but as to being a good experience? There are a lot of thing I probably wouldn’t mind a do-over on in life, but you would have to force me with weapons of mass destruction before I’d endure high school again. (Maybe you’re wondering what clique I was in? I was a clique of one – the weird kid who didn’t give a snort whether I fit in anywhere or not, because I realized when I was 8 that popularity was a ridiculous notion and it was much better to just be oneself.) But, as often happens in these reviews, I am wandering away from the point here. My point is that the high school Allie attends was larger than the one I attended, and if my high school could create a full football squad, there is no reason hers couldn’t have.
Anyway, this book was even better than the first – the additional character development was great, and we’re learning in small bits and pieces more about Allie’s background and her family’s history, which is quite interesting. I am very much enjoying this series. However, I will need to pause here for the week and get some editing done - I will finish this series this next weekend. 5 out of 5 stars 0982175698
Free read Moon Rise (Unbidden Magic, #2)
Her mom's still dating losers.
Her boyfriend's gone back to Mexico.
Dad still hasn't told his wife and kids that she exists.
At school, the drama queens and bullies still rule.
But worst of all for Allie Emerson--aka the Star Seeker of an old Gypsy prophecy--is that her powers have taken a hike. She can't read minds anymore. She can't move stuff just by looking at it. The other Star Seekers are counting on her psychic gifts more than ever, and the evil Tri-marks are closing in, eager to snatch her magic moonstone necklace while she's helpless. The hot new guy at school is ready and willing to fight her battles, but he comes with some wicked baggage.
Dear Diary: I'm a little worried. My new BF is a demon.
Welcome again to Allie Emerson's funny, scary, amazing, and always unpredictable life, as the girl voted least likely to save the world from evil. Moon Rise (Unbidden Magic, #2)
Title: Moon Rise
Author: Marilee Brothers
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Allie’s powers have taken a hike, she can no longer read people’s minds and move things by looking at them. Junior is gone off to Mexico to become a soap opera star (not something I’m thrilled with), however, Allie’s got enough to worry about. The evil Tri-marks are closing in, wanting to grab the moonstone necklace while she is helpless, the Starseekers need her more than ever, and there is a new guy in Allie’s life that is ready and willing to fight her battles. Oh yeah, and new hottie is a demon, always a plus right?
Review: This was an exciting follow up to Moonstone, and a wonderful continuation of Allie’s story in the Unbidden Magic series, however, my one pet peeve is that Junior got shipped away to Mexico. Sadness there. However, that sadness faded away at the introduction of the new hottie on the block, this story is filled with twists and turns that are prevalent on every page and it was hard to put down once I started it. Allie is starting to learn more about her powers, but much like her mother Faye, her grandfather will reveal nothing of what he knows, and she also has the potential to reveal secrets about her mother’s past.
Allie’s grown up quite a bit in this one, she’s growing stronger and more mature as the story goes on, and the timid Allie has been left behind. Brothers did a fantastic job growing her up in this second book, allowing her to become a strong equal in the war of good versus evil. Also, I truly enjoyed the introduction of some new faces Beck and Nicole, the twins. The mixture of a nun and a succubus, with some Shaman training, that is the yummy Beck. I also liked the inclusion of Grandfather Claude in the mix, however, saddened that he may not be around much longer, and it did annoy me that he is as closed mouthed as Faye.
There were some questions I had about Allie and Beck’s relationship and not understanding the reason for the “pretending” of boyfriend/girlfriend when they were clearly both into each other. Perhaps there was something more along the lines of Allie’s age, as she’s only fifteen and Brother’s is skirting the line for a more realistic setting. The message sent to young adults by having innocents discovering the opposite sex for the first time.
I do look forward to reading more installments of this series, this book is definitely one I would recommend along with the first, because with this series, if you do not read them in order you will miss out on important information.
If you have any questions, comments or recommendations you can contact me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com
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0982175698 Book 2 in a fun and fast-paced series with a teen who is an unlikely hero. People of all ages will enjoy this YA paranormal/supernatural series. The character development and world building were done well. I enjoyed the author’s voice/writing style.
I was provided a 4-book review copy from NG. 0982175698 Originally posted at Nose in a Book
Wah, there’s no Junior in this one. I liked him, but I’m also okay with Allie dating around. She’s fifteen! There is no rush to settle down. I even like Beck a lot. His sister is kind of a brat, but she has her reasons and I understand them. Kizzy is back in action, which is something I’m happy about, because Faye has not stopped screeching, though she does have a job and boyfriend now. Allie is not happy about that, but she counteracts it by going to a big Star Seekers convention with her father, which pisses Faye off. The convention turns out to be kind of embarrassing since, as the summary mentions, she has lost her powers. Allie is so awkward around Beck at first, which I find really endearing. Sometimes I hate it when teenagers act like children over kissing, but Allie’s mother has been drilling the evils of sex into her head for so long that it’s an ingrained lesson. I started kissing boys in first grade and never stopped. I’m…not the best role model apparently.
You know what I got really tired of though? The way girls interact in this one. It’s like middle school amplified by a thousand, or an HBO version of high school with girls calling each other anorexic in front of teachers and just general bitchery happening. It’s like no one can have a real friendship, especially not those popular girls. Reminds me of the way Cat from the Night Huntress series treats all women: like whores out to steal her man. Allie doesn’t necessarily act this way, but everyone else does. I find that most romance novels have interactions like this one. I’ve read a few books by adult authors giving YA the old college try, and sometimes their ideas don’t translate as well. This is one of those times. Age can really be a factor when writing believable YA, in my opinion. And it took me forever to get through the first half because the pace is like a snail’s compared to the first book. Reminds me a little of Supernaturally, which is by an author I truly love and admire, in that it seems like a boring info-dump filler novel. This happens a lot when it comes to sophomore novels.
The world in which Allie lives is totally black and white. Star Seekers are good, Trimarks are bad. Always, no exception. That bugs me, because no one is fully evil, unless they’re a sociopath or something, and no one is completely good. The reason for Junior’s departure is completely ridiculous, but I don’t mind that Allie hops from boy to boy. She’s a teenage girl! She doesn’t need to find her soulmate right now. It’s okay for her to kiss multiple boys, okay? Not everything is “destined” a la Bella Swan. What bugs me are the reasons for why the boys leave. It couldn’t be more obvious that Brothers just wanted a change of scenery for Allie, and used various boys to achieve this.
I sound like I hated this novel, but I didn’t, not at all! I still like Allie, I liked Beck from the beginning, and the supporting cast remains as likable as ever. Though the story sort of slumps, I was still interested in what was happening to Allie and her world, and I still want to know more. I feel like maybe I was too hard on this book now I reread what I wrote earlier, but I’m going to let everything stand. I’m really looking forward to reading Moon Spun, so make sure you check back here soon! 0982175698 I read the first four books in the Unbidden Magic Series at once. To review them, I wrote a mini review of each book followed by an overall review of the complete series. For the full review of all four books, see Chronicles of a Book Evangelist.
Mini Review:
Moon Rise started off a lot smoother than Moonstone because the characters had settled into themselves. There was still action and mystery, but Moon Rise was a little more thoughtful - focusing more on Allie's developing powers and how she was dealing with the consequences of using them. It was slower paced than Moon Rise (which does not mean in any way that it was slow paced in general) but provided some much needed character development and shoring up of the world building.
The new characters added in Moon Rise were better actualized than Moonstone, and Brothers writing overall was substantially better. There were a lot less cliches. However, this was also the introduction of Beck and disappearance of Junior - more on that in the overall discussion. The series story arc also starts to get a little convoluted at times.
Series Overall:
Do not read this portion if you do not want to be spoiled. Okay? Okay.
Thanks to Bell Bridge Books for the Review Copies 0982175698 RECEIVED FROM: Net Galley For Review
***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***
Allie Emerson is the Keeper of the Light, the girl meant to hold the Moonstone and with the Tri-Marks after the Moonstone the Star Seekers are relying on Allie to keep the world safe from danger. But since the incident at the barn Allie’s powers have deserted her. She’s swamped with guilt over the man who died and her sleep is filled with nightmares about the family he might have left behind. Junior’s gone, he left for a wedding in Mexico and never came back and without Junior or her powers she’s not sure what she’ll do. When a new boy at school with secrets of his own offers to heal her Allie doesn’t have a choice but to accept because the Tri-Marks are closing in and without her powers she and the rest of the world are toast. But can she regain her strength before it’s too late? And even if she does will that be enough?
I gave the second book a higher rating than the first, but I was debating between three and four stars for this novel as well. The opening is much better than the first it takes us right into the story rather than attempting to humor us and falling flat. What I didn’t like Junior’s gone and we’re starting all over with the getting to know you phase on another boy. He gives her a scorching kiss, which we’re told about rather than experiencing with her and promises to be back by the end of September but its October when the story begins. Now in the last book Junior was incredibly protective of Allie. I just can’t see him taking off like that and not coming back, it doesn’t fit with the character Brothers created in the first novel. The second while I like Beck as much as I did Junior I don’t know something about him doesn’t really sit right with me. It’s not the character so much it’s that Junior used to be the hottest boy in school and even though he doesn’t sleep with her, he ends up with Allie. Now Beck is the new hottest boy in school and guess who he hooks up with? You guess it, Allie. So will there be an even hotter boy in the next book who will choose good girl Allie over everyone else? Allie’s not really described too much physically, she’s thin with curly hair and bright green eyes. No one acts like she’s model worthy or anything so why is she always with the hottest boy in school no matter who he is? I could accept it with one hot guy, but to repeat that again with two is pushing it. On the other hand I think I like the contrast between Beck and Allie better than I did with Junior. Junior’s protective but totally normal. Beck’s got his own abilities. Junior was all can’t ruin the good girl while Beck can’t keep his hands off her. I mean nothing ever crosses the PG level in their relationship either, but there’s a lot more fire between Beck and Allie than there was between Junior and Allie. However the idea of a love triangle appearing in future novels is pretty obvious. I liked the plot of this one, but I don’t know I thought crisis scene in the last one was more dramatic even though this one should have been. The way everyone was just so accepting of everything bothered me as well. Even the principal is cool with it. It’s like the whole town sees weird stuff and thinks ok, no biggie. On top of that if Shane is the guy from the gang scene in the first novel why didn’t he fight back against Allie then? Why wasn’t he there at the barn? I’m left with a lot of question in this book and even though this book also includes a full story arc I’m left with as many questions as I have answers at its conclusion. Like the last book the story is a well written first person from Allie’s point of view. It is fast paced and filled with action, magic and high school drama.
The characters are well developed and Brother’s does a much better job of showing us the characters personalities than telling us this novel. Allie is obviously going to be well developed in a first person account, but Beck, Nicole, Faye and other characters also have more depth to them than in the first novel. They become more individualistic than they were in the series debut. Also Allie has some decent character growth in this novel which I definitely like.
Overall the book is an engrossing young adult paranormal fiction novel that I would definitely recommend to readers who enjoy the genre. 0982175698