Dangerous Reflections by Shay Fabbro

Synopsis:

Alexis Davenport wants to go home. She hates her new school, her mother for moving her away from her friends, living in her aunt's guesthouse, and her father for walking out. 

To make matters worse, Alex is haunted by the images of strange girls reflected in her mirror. It is bad enough juggling homework, a relentless bully, boys, and a deadbeat dad. 

Now, she must save the world from an evil presence hell-bent on changing the past - and our futures. Who knew her A+ in history was going to be this important?

Review: 

This book is a Young Adult book, but it has kind of a cool premise so I wanted to see how this book was going to turn out. Basically the main character Alex is thrown into a situation that probably a lot of teens are faced with these days, a family that has been broken a part, and the aftermath of coping with how to deal with your life suddenly changing in more ways than one. 

I have to compliment Shay Fabbro in being able to write a realistic teen in this book. There were a lot of moments when I was getting annoyed a little bit with the way that Alex was acting, but it's authentic, when I was a teenager I either knew girls who acted like her or even acted a bit like her myself. 

I think Alex as a character is easy for people to relate to. Like I said a lot of people have had to deal with having your parents split up and the resulting fall out that can lead to school changes and moving from the only home you have ever really known. But Alex also has good friends, and problems with bullies at school. She is easily likable because you know she has been dealt a bit of a bad hand, but even though she has been dealt a bad hand she still keeps going, she really learns to work through the hard times. 

Then of course the "magical" element of the book is the mirror that Alex discovers that can transport her to another time. It's kind of a cool concept, one seen in a few different tv shows. But the reason why all those tv shows work is the same reason why this book works. Each different show/book has their own take on how the "time travel" works and the goals of it. Plus in a book form and specifically geared to young adults, it gives you a really interesting perspective to work with. 

I think another reason why this book works with the time travel element is because Alex is just a normal girl, but she is also a smart girl. It's known from early on that she is a history buff, and if anyone would be suited for time travel it's her. I think all history lovers wish at one time or another you could go back in time and experience different times in history just for a little while. 

Overall, I think this book is a really good young adult book, and I would recommend it to young adult readers. It did take a little while to pick up in the beginning, but the plot was good and the pace was good after the beginning. I will say this book does read like a young adult, so if you don't like young adult this book is not for you, but if you do then you could check out this book. 

The Chosen by Shay Fabbro

Synopsis:

The Mekans left much as they arrived, their shadows darkening the ruins of a once beautiful and vibrant planet. The noise of their engines, while still stirring up huge clouds of dust, no longer caused discomfort for the people. 

There wasn’t anyone left to hear. 

The Mekan Fleet threaten all life in the galaxy and only the Chosen can fight these metal monstrosities and save those that call this galaxy home. The Guardians travel to the home worlds of the Chosen, sent by the Masters of Gentra to guide and protect them. But the prophecy that speaks of the Mekan threat says nothing of sending the Guardians to the Chosen before the signs appear. The decision to send them early could doom all in the galaxy to death.

Review:

I don't often read a lot of sci-fi, in fact it probably only makes up like 10% of the books I review, even though I watch a ton of sci-fi when it comes to movies or tv. I am not sure why such a difference exists between the two genres, but either way I do enjoy a good sci-fi book from time to time, so I was pretty excited about this book. 

One of the things I particularly enjoyed about this book was that even though it was a sci-fi book it still had a couple of my favorite elements from fantasy books within it. So because of that it didn't feel like a huge shift in genres while I was reading. It was easier to get into the plot once I got through the beginning because of those familiar elements. 

The beginning of the book is probably my biggest issue with the book. I did have a little bit of a hard time with the beginning, which is actually a common problem I have with epic fantasy and sci-fi books. Often times authors have to introduce so much new information to the reader at the beginning of the book that it can sometimes be confusing for the reader. I felt like maybe there were too many people being introduced early on, and the names made it even harder for me to keep track of the people. I mean I couldn't pronounce most of the peoples name in the book, so when that happens it harder for those people to stay clear in my own mind, let alone multiple characters that I am having that issue with. I think it was for that reason it felt like the beginning of the book took a long time to get through just because I was having some confusion issues. 

However, once you get through the beginning of the book it is actually a pretty enjoyable read. The writing is quality, and at that point you have pretty much everyone down, so you can really focus on the plot of the book. The theme is a common one you see in sci-fi but it is executed pretty well so it stands on it's own two feet, which I appreciate. None of the book felt too much like another book out there, while still staying true to theme. 

Overall, I would have to say the book was a fun look into sci-fi, and a pretty enjoyable read. I think anyone who enjoys sci-fi would enjoy this book. The book isn't to terribly long so it might be good for someone who is wanting to try out sci-fi, but for those of you have issue with odd names in fantasy and sci-fi books maybe this book isn't for you. But like I said if you like sci-fi then this is probably a book you would enjoy.