Silver Star Vol.II, No.I was recently released. You can find it here. We are very happy to have had a few images included in this seminal issue in which editorial reins have passed from Frater Aion to Shade, and all of Shades’ very hardwork has really paid-off: the new SilverStar looks fantastic and the sheer scope and range of diverse viewpoints, opinions, personal experience and artistic visions contained in this Magickal eZine is nigh unto explosive in the most radical sense of Truth in application. Wow. Simply Wow. Thank you to Shade for allowing Studio Raziel to participate in this awesome endeavor.
Be Well,
Studio Raziel

Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: August 6th 2009
Buy it from: Book Depository (free shipping worldwide!)
Silver star (3/5 stars)

Synopsis: When Emily Carson’s parents die in a plane crash, she’s left with nothing but her mother’s last words scrawled in lipstick on a tray table: “Emily, please forgive me.”

Now it’s fall and Emily moves to New York City— where she attracts the attention of two very different boys: the cute, popular Owen, and her quirky chemistry partner, Anthony. With the help of some surprising new friends, Emily must choose between the boy who helps her forget and the one who encourages her to remember, and ultimately heal.

Debut author Jennifer Jabaley has written a wonderful, feel-good romantic comedy with real emotional depth. Full of lovably wacky characters, Lipstick Apology is a heartwarming story about the true meaning of forgiveness.

Review: Lipstick Apology sadly did not live up to my expectations. When I read the first line in the prologue, it really annoyed me.

Steve McCaffity just undressed me with his eyes.

Okay, maybe I’m still clothed, but we definitely made eye contact. Well, actually, he might have only glanced at the tiny chocolate stain on my V-neck — so it was noticable.

Why do I feel like there is so much going on in these three sentences? The writing seemed clunky to me, it didn’t flow smoothly. On the topic of Jabaley’s writing, I was really annoyed to see the excess use of capital letters. I know sometimes it’s good to use capital letters to emphasize a point but too much gets on my nerves. Everytime someone shouts, it’s capital letters. Wah??

Here are two examples of sentences which I felt the capital letters were totally unessasary.

Lindsey vigorously shook her head, agreeing with me. “No you HAVE to go.” (page 186)

“I wasn’t intending to get drunk. You KNOW I don’t drink.” (page 196)

I really wanted to love this book but there were too many problems with it. Another big problem was that Jabaley did a lot of “telling” and very little “showing”. The writing could have been so much better if Jabaley trusted her readers to figure out what was going on and not tell them.

Emily’s mood swings annoyed me. Yes I know it’s hard to deal with the death but it was so frustrating. She seemed to accept her parents’ death calmly. There weren’t many scenes of her grieving. Too many PMS-ing moments. Emily character was too dramatic and I had a hard time relating to her.

The other characters were like any other typical high school novels. You know, rich preppy superficial girls, self-centered high school jocks, the geeky girl etc. I truly liked Anthony, he was sweet but still cliché. Her aunt Jolie’s occupation was unique and I thought it was really cool having an aunt who has her own makeup line. Jolie’s character was quite likable compared to the other adult, Trent who is a hairdresser. Trent in the beginning was over perky and I felt as though he was over caffeinated. But as I went deeper into the book, he became more thoughtful.

Other than the above mentioned problems, I just love the setting of the book, it’s NEW YORK CITY people. My number one dream destination. The setting was nicely described. But did you know that most YA books are set in NYC? Justine Larbalestier did a post Too Many Books About NYC? I felt for Lipstick Apology, the setting was right for the book. I am pretty sure if you had a successful makeup line you’d be living in NYC and not in other states.

Oh and the synopsis totally spoiled the romance for me. It’s so easy to figure out who Emily will end up with at the end. Honestly, if I wanted a predictable romance plot, I would go with Elizabeth Scott’s Something Maybe. Though Something Maybe was also predictable, Scott did it better.

Lipstick Apology was a nice book to pass time but not one of those books that I definitely recommend.

Check out other reviews of Lipstick Apology: Books By Their Cover, Addicted to Literature, That Chick That Reads, Harmony Book Reviews, Presenting Lenore.

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Publication Date: 6th Oct. 2009
Buy it from: Book Depository (free shipping worldwide!)
Silver star (3.5/5 stars)

Synopsis: Zoom in on thirteen-year-old Dani Callanzano. The summer before eighth grade, Dani is stuck in her nothing-ever-happens town with only her favorite noir mysteries at the Little Art movie theatre to keep her company. But one day a real-life mystery begins to unravel—at the Little Art! And it all has something to do with a girl in polka-dot tights… Armed with a vivid imagination, a flair for the dramatic, and a knowledge of all things Rita Hayworth, Dani sets out to solve the mystery and learns more about herself than she ever thought she would.

Review: Dani Noir was fun read. Dani was this feisty, charming, bluntly honest, thirteen year old protagonist who was definitely the type of people who liked to ‘take charge’ of things and not wait for things to happen. She does seem quite dramatic at times but I suspect it’s due to the fact that she loves watching movies and imagining herself in the movies. I quite liked her bubbly unique personality. Dani’s anger and frustrations were understandable and so were her struggles. Her best friend moved away and now she’s friendless. The secondary characters were very well developed. I liked Taylor, Elissa and basically all the good people.

I was disappointed that the mystery was easily solved. I was expecting something more exciting? But I still love the wacky things Dani did to investigate the mystery. It kept me hooked to this book and I simply could not put it down! I read while eating my lunch, it wasn’t until I finished the book when I finally put it down.

One thing that took me by surprise was the mention of Facebook. From the beginning, I had the impression that the town was old-fashioned and the coolest thing there were cell phones. But with the mention of Facebook, I felt the story became inconsistent. Facebook is a modern website that everyone uses, so why doesn’t Little Arts theatre show other films besides those noir films? That was my only problem with Dani Noir. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book. Reading Dani’s witty dialogues and thoughts had me laughing aloud several times.

Dani Noir is an original and enjoyable novel which I recommend to middle graders and adults alike. You will be surprise about some of the topics covered in this novel. Dani Noir is not as ‘fluffy’ and ‘light’ as you probably expect it to be.

Favorite quote: “Rita Hayworth would have eaten Jessica Alba alive.”

NCS Product Synopsis
«©NCSX» The Mega-CD version of Lunar Silver Star debuted over 17 years ago in 1992 and the game eventually made it to the Sega Saturn in two versions. The first conversion was in 1996 and a Video-CD Card compatible version with nicer cinemas was released a year later. Lunar SS also made its way to the Playstation in 1988 and a 20 year hiatus followed. This year, Gung Ho grabs hold of the Lunar SS property and remakes it for the Playstation Portable.

Remakes are all the rage nowadays because the IP is already out there and audience awareness is built-into the marketplace. The PSP remake includes a new scenario, updated graphics, and re-mastered cinemas and music/sound effects.

In the game, players take control of a lad named Alex who idolizes a legendary hero named Dragonmaster Dyne who saved the world from disaster. Alex dreams of becoming a hero one day and gets his chance with a little quest that takes his little band of adventurers into the Dragon’s Cave in search of a gem. They meet a wyrm named Quark who senses the greatness in Alex and gifts him with the Dragon Diamond. From there, Alex and friends find themselves going on a true quest that takes them around the world of Lunar. All preorders will include a bonus soundtrack courtesy of the publisher in 1:1 ratio. While supplies last, we’ll also include the soundtrack with new orders placed today and over the next few days.

Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: 1 Sept. 2009
Buy it from: Book Depository (free shipping worldwide!)
Silver star (3/5 stars)

Synopsis: When fourteen-year-old Viola is sent from her beloved Brooklyn to boarding school in Indiana for ninth grade, she overcomes her initial reservations as she makes friends with her roommates, goes on a real date, and uses the unsettling ghost she keeps seeing as the subject of a short film—her first. (I found the original synopsis too long so I am posting the one which can be found on Adriana Trigiani’s website.)

Review: I wanted to love this book as I really liked the idea of it. However, initially, Viola was so whiny that I could hardly stand her. I felt sympathetic for Viola at the beginning but her constant whinning about her plight gets old quickly. You may get the same reaction as me but do give Viola a chance. As the story progressed, I definitely liked Viola more. But I think in the end, I still prefer her friends more. How ironic but I would love to be friends with Marisol and Suzanne!

I hate to say this but Viola could be a little unthoughtful at times and I felt her level of maturity is more of a 12 year old than a 14 year old. Viola’s character matures throughout the book so it was not an overnight transformation. I did not particularly enjoy the first half of book but I liked Viola a lot more after the incident with the Red Lady.

The romance plot of the book was showed that Trigiani made an effort to make it not those typical best friends falling in love plots. If there’s one main thing about Viola in Reel Life that irked me, it was that in the beginning I sensed that Viola had a potential love interest. But as soon as Viola meets someone new, Andrew suddenly hangs out with Olivia, making the love plot unrealistic. However, it was fun to read about but could have been smoother.

Overall Viola in Reel Life was an entertaining read which would appeal to younger teen readers. This novel is fun to read, but I do not recommend it to readers looking for something more meaningful. That being said, I feel that Adriana Trigiani made a good attempt at the YA genre and definitely has potential for great future novels.

This Week’s Post Was Written By Greta

Col. Henry J. Cook

Past National Commander, Military Order of the Purple Heart, after serving over fifteen years with MOPH, gaining invaluable experience while in the positions of National Aide-de-Camp, Chapter Commander, Region Commander, National Junior Vice Commander and National Senior Vice Commander.

He was a career Special Forces (Green Beret) officer for thirty-three of the total forty-two years that he was on combined active and reserve duty. His combat tours began in 1967-68 when he operated behind enemy lines in for extended periods of time conducting operations with native guerrilla troops as the Executive Officer of the 4th Mobile Guerrilla. He saw additional combat in 1969-70 when he led a U.S. Special Forces Mobile Strike Force Battalion (MIKE FORCE), consisting of Green Beret officers and sergeants leading Cambodian mercenaries, again working behind enemy lines as well as reacting to attacks on friendly bases, often requiring that his unit be parachuted into hostile drop zones.

Later, he participated in Desert Shield (Saudi Arabia), Desert Storm (Kuwait) and Iraq, and Operation Provide Comfort (Support to Kurdish refugees in Northern Iraq.

For his valor and military skills, Colonel Cook was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for Valor and two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with “V” Device and one Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart with One Oak Leaf Cluster, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Gold and Silver Stars, Joint Services Commendation Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Special Forces Combat Diver Badge, Special Forces Tab, and numerous other U.S. and foreign decorations.

Henry Cook is now twice retired, as a soldier and as a lawyer and resides in Diamondhead, Mississippi. He is a member of the Pro Bono Consortium representing veterans who appeal denial of claims and is a member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans’ Claims. He’s been a member of the Mississippi Bar Association since 1978 and also serves as a Municipal Judge Pro Tem in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Other significant contributions to veterans by Henry Cook include: a major role in the creation of the Mississippi Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Ocean Springs and helping raise over $500,000 to help MOPH members in Louisiana and Mississippi who lost everything during Hurricane Katrina. In addition to MOPH, he also belongs to Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Special Forces Association (SFA), Special Operations Association (SOA), Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW).

You can read more about Col. Henry in this PDF file on pages 31 & 32.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

First there is a Before, and then there is an After. . .

The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him.

Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.

David Levithan has written a novel of loss and grief, but also one of hope and redemption as his characters slowly learn to move forward in their lives, despite being changed forever.

I felt that some parts of Love is the Higher Law were really well written but other parts, not so much. Claire was a fantastic narrator, I wanted more scenes with her because scenes with her made me feel as if I was right there, in New York City on 9 September 2001. I do not remember 9/11/01 very clearly unfortunately. But reading this book as I said, while reading Claire’s scenes, it was as if I was experiencing everything.

Jasper. I liked him. His character was nice enough and quite understandable. My major complaint is Peter. His character was not developed and the plot for his side of the story was stagnant. Initially, the pacing for the book was just right but as I read more it started moving slowly. The aftermath of 9/11 was a little draggy for me but ultimately the message that David Levithan is trying to convey is that there is hope.

Thank you David Levithan for writing a book about September 11 as I have never read any book about it. Love is the Higher Law portrays the events of 9/11 very clearly making it a heart-breaking yet beautiful and moving novel. Before reading this book, make sure you have a box of tissues beside you.

Sorry but I think I’m giving this a Silver star. I may not have found this book spectacular but I’m sure others will love it.

Silver star

First biography of legendary Marine Corps Colonel John W. Ripley.

by Norman Fulkerson

On November 1, 2008, Ron Darden was watching the evening news when an item, scrolling across the bottom of the screen, caught his eye. He was shocked to find out that his former company commander, Colonel John Walter Ripley, had died at his home in Annapolis, Maryland.

On that same day, I decided to write An American Knight, The Life of Colonel John W. Ripley, the first biography of this great man.

*                       *                       *

Sergeant Darden admitted that he was afraid when, as a 19-year-old lance corporal, he first joined Lima Company. He drew guard duty on his first night in Vietnam and described how his fears were put to ease when he received an unexpected visit from Captain John Ripley, Lima Company’s fearless commander, who jumped into the foxhole next to him.  The solicitous captain asked Darden where he was from, if he was married and how his parents were getting along without him.

During this night visit, John Ripley spoke to Ron Darden with the gentleness of a father and told him it was okay to be afraid, but that he should not let his fears dominate him. Sergeant Darden would go on to earn a Silver Star when he ran out into the middle of a firefight to save the life of a wounded Marine who lay helpless on the ground. He is a man who has seen the worst of war while serving under the best of battle field commanders.

As Darden related stories about John Ripley during a phone interview, I sensed that this Silver-Star-recipient was fighting back tears as he remembered this remarkable man and that unforgettable night so many years ago. He could not believe the lack of news coverage of this great man. His surprise quickly turned to frustration and then anger as he searched for more details about the passing of a man, who, long before his untimely death had already been revered as a “living legend.”

The news of Colonel Ripley’s death did in fact begin to hit the airwaves and his obituary eventually appeared in

Painting by Col. Charles Waterhouse of John Ripley dangling above the Cua Viet River as angry North Vietnamese soldiers fire upon him.

The New York Times. What the Times and so many others newspaper articles recounted was the story of a man who blew up the Dong Ha bridge on Easter Sunday in 1972. This is understandable considering that Colonel Ripley almost singlehandedly halted the largest Communist offensive of the entire Vietnam War. This amounted to stopping 30,000 enemy troops and 200 tanks. He was successful in this task and would later sum up in actions in a succinct way:

“The bridge was there, the enemy was there, and I was there.”

Desiring to Tell the Whole Truth

What he did on that day defies belief and I could not fail to narrate the Dong Ha story in An American Knight. There is so much more to Colonel Ripley, however, that has been conveniently overlooked or glossed over by those either unable or unwilling to tell the whole truth. Colonel Ripley was a rare type of warrior who willingly and, his sons told me, enthusiastically addressed a number of politically incorrect issues of his day.

Ashley Gonzalez of the United States Air force. No comment!!!

I saw the importance of one of the issues he addressed when I was “mugged by reality” in an airport some years ago by the sight of a young lady about to board a plane. She was a picture of femininity, in every way, except for her battle fatigues and the rucksack thrown over her shoulder. Moments later, her tearful parents said their final farewells to a daughter being sent off to do a man’s job.

It was only natural, therefore, that I drew an enormous consolation when I first read the heroic testimony of Colonel Ripley against sending women, like this one, into harm’s way. While others paid homage to the “god of equality,” he chose to defend the noble ideals of womanhood and femininity. This, and his care for children, were the things which caused me to see in Colonel Ripley a modern-day knight.

Since justice is the virtue whereby man renders to each what is due to him, I could do nothing less for this great man. This was one of the motivating factors which urged me to write his life. Mysteriously enough, I was egged on in this project as much by Colonel Ripley himself, as anyone. In a letter to a friend he said something which struck me like a voice from beyond the grave: “If a young officer or Marine ever asks, what is the meaning of Semper Fidelis, tell them my story.” After reading such a thing, I could not fail to tell this man’s story?

“I Walked with a Hero.”

There was another motivating factor which urged me on and that was my desire to console hero-seeking-Americans who yearn for a role model like Colonel Ripley who they can admire and emulate. During the researching of An American Knight, I took time to read numerous website commentaries and was inspired by the eulogies posted by average Americans.

One man, no doubt inspired by the Marines’ Hymn which speaks of Heaven being guarded by U.S. Marines said the following.

“We claim Semper Fidelis as our motto, but it was Col. Ripley’s life. His loyalty was complete, in all directions. The earth is less today without his soul, but the heavens are a safer place tonight.”

Another comment was even more impressive but demands an introduction.

Colonel Ripley was an outstanding officer who took great pride in the position he earned. This can be seen in the picture I chose for the cover of An American Knight. Yet he was a man that had a profound humility and never wanted attention drawn to himself. Colonel Ripley was not a man who tried to impress others with his Navy Cross or his legendary status. In fact he would often point out the achievements of those of lesser rank and frequently expressed his unbounded appreciation for the common Marine Corps grunts that “get the job done.”

He did this in a very refreshing way without ever adopting the “one of the guys” egalitarian attitude, so lamentably

John Ripley (right) as a Naval Academy midshipman with his brother Michael who died in 1971 while test flying the Harrier.

common among many people of higher station. Colonel Ripley was, from top to bottom, a serious Marine Corps officer and was not ashamed of it. Yet he never missed the opportunity to challenge those around him to reach higher. It is for this reason that towards the end of his life he gave himself wholeheartedly to mentoring. He loved to counsel young men starting out on their military careers, especially those of the United States Naval Academy, his alma mater, which he loved with his whole heart.

All of this helps in understanding better a comment of a midshipman after Colonel Ripley’s death:

“This is the same man who sat at dinner with me and asked me, a first class midshipman, about to be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, to sign his program for the evening because he was going to read about me in the papers and all the great things I did for the Marine Corps. I walked with a hero. Semper Fidelis.”

Rest in Peace Now!

I saved the best eulogy for last. It came from a mother of four, who defined herself, even if inaccurately, as a “simple American women.” I pray that she someday know how moved I was to read her words.

“I never had the honor of meeting Col. John Ripley. In fact, before a dear friend suggested that I look him up, I had never heard his name. But I have sat here and read stories of his life and countless postings by the people that loved him and will miss him dearly. I am a simple American woman enjoying a world that Col. Ripley dedicated his life to protecting. I am humbled by the recounts of his heroism and tireless dedication to his country. I suppose I’d just like to say thank you. Thank you from the core of my being and on behalf of my four children. When the time is right, I will tell each of them of this great man, Col. John Ripley. May God bless your soul.”

I thank you also Colonel Ripley. Rest in peace now, I will them your story.

Back cover of An "American Knight". A solitary Marine pays his final respects beside the coffin of Colonel John Ripley.

Eager to learn everything she can about her new abilities as an Immortal, Ever turns to her beloved Damen to show her the way. But just as her powers are increasing, Damen’s are waning. In an attempt to save him, Ever travels to the magical dimension of Summerland, where she learns the secrets of Damen’s tortured past; a past which he has always kept hidden from her. But in her quest to cure Damen, Ever discovers an ancient text that details the workings of time. Now Ever must chose between turning back the past and saving her family from the accident that claimed their lives—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows sicker every day…

Three words to describe Blue Moon: Oh my God. From the start, Noel did a good job doing a quick recap on the first book. I find that helpful for people like me who forgotten what Evermore is about. Whoops! In Blue Moon, things get complicated and we follow Ever’s journey to uncover what really happened to Damen. For most part of the book, Ever seemed like a strong herione who would save the day (what I was expecting). But what really happened was that Ever made a mistake at the end, leading to a whole new bigger problem. Ladies and gentleman, our protagonist became a weak helpless girl at the end. I am not afraid to say this: I hated the ending.

Do you know the feeling when it’s so plain obvious that the character is falling into a trap and she just falls right into it? I bet you do. Well, I don’t want to spoil the book but I shall just leave that as that for now. Hopefully Ever will redeem herself in Shadowland. If I ignored the ending of the book and focused on 3/4 of the story, I would say that Blue Moon was a chilling sequel to Evermore with suspenseful and romantic elements which will demand you to read this book in one sitting. Though I still prefer Evermore more than Blue Moon. Maybe I set my expectations for Blue Moon too high but I felt that it could have been so much more.

Get ready to be sucked back into Ever’s story with this sequel. I cannot wait to get my hands on Shadowland!

Silver star

Last week, i was walking around Powerplant mall in Rockwell Makati, when i chanced upon this store called, Anthem, that sells ORIGINAL Affliction Gear, from shirts to board shorts to hoodies. For the average joe, this means nothing, but for the avid Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Fan like myself, this is the BOMB!

So i started browsing thru their stuff and i saw this SUPER NICE Pullover Hoodie and i just had to try it on.  I was ecstatic when it fit me perfectly. Great Design, Awesome attention to detail, and fantastic clothing quality. iLUViT!!!!!!

I was still hesitant to buy it, until i found out that this was the ONLY ONE in the Philippines.  I was sold!  Apparently, they only carry 1 design per size so unless you go to the states to buy one, i am the only one with this design in the Philippines.

The design is called, “BIRDS OF PREY”

Aside from Affliction, there are also other MMA clothing brands that i like, such as Silver Star.  There are particular styles that are made for particular fighters and those are the ones that i am looking for.  Here are the fighter designs that i want:

Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko

George “RuSh” St. Pierre  

Randy “The Natural” Couture  

Anderson “The Spider” Silva

Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida

CAUTION: This review contains spoilers if you have not read the previous books in the series.
In picture-perfect Rosewood, Pennsylvania, ash-blond highlights gleam in the winter sun and frozen lakes sparkle like Swarovski crystals. But pictures often lie— and so do Rosewood’s four prettiest girls.
Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily have been lying ever since they became friends with beautiful Alison DiLaurentis. Ali made them do terrible things—things they had to keep secret for years. And even though Ali was killed at the end of seventh grade, their bad-girl ways didn’t die with her.
Hanna’s on a mission to corrupt Rosewood’s youth, starting with a very attractive sophomore. Aria’s snooping into her boyfriend’s past. Spencer’s stealing— from her family. And pure little Emily’s abstaining from abstinence.
The girls should be careful, though. They thought they were safe when Ali’s killer was arrested and A’s true identity was finally revealed. But now there’s a new A in town turning up the heat. And this time Rosewood is going to burn.

Hmm, how do I describe this book? I would say it was good but I was not really really in love with it. Firstly, the idea of a new A was just weird and it’s like to make the series last longer. I would prefer if Sara did another book series with totally new characters. Moving on, the story picks up from where it left off in Wicked. Aria, Spencer, Hanna, Emily all have their own secrets and problems. In this book, I think my fave character would be Emily. I do not want to give away anything but I genuinely felt sorry for her. She’s the only character I can identify with. Her emotions were also well executed. The rest of the characters were just okay. I found Hanna so whiny, Spencer and Aria to be naive.

In Killer, the new A did not torment the girls as much as the previous books and her messages are really hard to decipher. Hanna changed her phone so A has yet to be able to contact her. Still, the girls seem to see a person with blond hair everywhere so readers get chilling feeling that A is there, watching.

As usual the climax of the book is usually towards the end and this time round, the ending left my jaw wide open and my mind filled with questions. Believe me, you would not see the ending coming! If I am not wrong the release date for Heartless (Pretty Little Liars, #7) has been pushed forward to THIS YEAR November 2009! I can’t wait!

Fans of PPL: Killer was an enjoyable read but to me it is not Sara’s best book in the series but it definitely shows a very interesting development and you won’t want to skip this book because there is a very big revelation at the end.

Silver star

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin’s magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.

Reading Once a Witch was an enjoyable experience. Oh wait, I want to gush about how much I love the cover. The cover creates a mysterious atmosphere and I’m sure y’all agree with me that it’s fantastic. Once a Witch is a fresh take on a genre that is not widely covered in YA. Having not read many books on witchcraft, I was eager to read about Tamsin’s world. I loved learning about Tamsin’s family and their powers. However I found that the story started off a teeny bit too slow, but maybe that’s just me. Things sped up once Tamsin goes to hunt for lost family heirloom. I like how Once a Witch was set in different places, the city, Tamsin’s house and some *cough* different time periods. It will draw readers into the captivating world of witchcraft and magic.

Tamsin is such a great protagonist who readers can identify easily with. She’s the only one in her family without a Talent so she feels left out. I could feel Tamsin’s frustration strongly and so she totally won me over from the start.

Tamsin’s love interest would be Gabriel. Adding romance was a great touch to the book. However, there are some parts of the books which appeared rushed to me. I wanted to see more interaction between Gabriel and Tamsin, and perhaps more development in their romance.

Other than that, I really enjoyed this book. I read Once a Witch in one sitting and it was certaintly an entertaining read. However the ending was not very satisfying as it was a little aburpt. The ending also hints that there might be a sequel. Overall, a great novel by Carolyn MacCullough. Once a Witch was released on September 14. Get it now on Amazon!

Silver star

NCS Preorder Synopsis
«©NCSX» The Mega-CD version of Lunar Silver Star debuted over 17 years ago in 1992 and the game eventually made it to the Sega Saturn in two versions. The first conversion was in 1996 and a Video-CD Card compatible version with nicer cinemas was released a year later.
Remakes are all the rage nowadays because the IP is already out there and audience awareness is built-in. Japanese publisher Gungho is remaking Silver Star for the PSP which includes a new scenario, updated graphics, and re-mastered cinemas. All preorders ship on November 12 and include a bonus soundtrack courtesy of the publisher in 1:1 ratio.

16-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science…and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she’s happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother’s estate.

There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can’t make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship…and reality.

Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

Sea Change is my sixth book by Aimee Friedman. I have always enjoyed her novels and Sea Change was no exception. Sea Change is set in the mysterious Selkie Island where Miranda’s mother grew up in. The landscape is expressed with vivid imagery and mixed together with the background of the island, made me feel as if I was right there. The story starts off slowly but there is a build up of suspense. Miranda is a logical person, she believes that there is a scientific explanation for everything. One day she meets Leo who is a genuinely nice guy who likes her not because of her roots or where she lives. As the days pass, Miranda can’t help falling for him. However, I think that with more interaction between the characters, their love for each other might have been more convincing.

There are also Miranda’s summer friends who are cliche, making me simply not care about them. Miranda’s mother’s sudden behaviour change was too fast to be believable. It made me frustrated because I did not understand her.

Readers will caught up in the intrigue Miranda questions everything she knows as she digs deeper into the history of the island and her family. I loved reading about the merfolk and other mythological creatures that are said to inhabit the island.

While I found the story slightly predictable, I still enjoyed it. The conclusion was satisfactory as if things were explained, readers might not get the postive happy ending they were hoping for. It gives us hope for Miranda and Leo, and hopefully, Aimee Friedman would write a companion to this novel which will tie up loose ends.

Sea Change is a beautiful love story with an air of mystery. It was a fun memorable summer read.

Silver Star (3.5/5 stars)