Reviews written by Samantha Randolph

In historical England, people give off Smoke. It is generally accepted that this Smoke is a product of sin, and the cleaner aristocracy enforce that idea through their rule. Charlie and Thomas attend an elite boarding school where they are given tests to discourage any and all Smoke, but when...

Basanta lives in a village in India, surrounded by friends and family. She works for a young mistress who has a beautiful ring that Basanta wouldn’t mind having herself. When the ring disappears, she is hurt when her mistress accuses her of being a thief, and when, by chance, the...

Frannie and Louis have been online friends for years as part of a support group. Time has brought them closer, and they find they have weird things in common like losing random items constantly, but they’ve never meet face to face. When a string of events have them both setting...

RETURN TO THE ISLE OF THE LOST picks up right where The Descendants movie left off, though there is a handy recap before the first chapter for readers who haven’t seen the movie. Those who want the full effect of the character growth should start with the first Descendants book,...

Nic is a slave living around the mines outside of Rome. When he is ordered into a dangerous cavern that holds the treasures of Julius Caesar, he discovers a bulla, a god-powered amulet. Between the bulla and the mark the griffin hidden in the treasures gives him, Nic now has...

JOYOUS BLOOMS TO COLOR is an adult coloring book (though it’s appropriate for most ages), featuring beautiful scenes of nature. Several pages also have quotes from writers like Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare, and Emerson, which add heart and inspiration. The different styles used for the quotes are similarly swirly, but they...

The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency is on their next big case. This time, they are investigating a mysterious engagement, possibly a ghost, and a missing will. However, solving mysteries is a hard feat with both Lady Ada and Mary juggling sisters and society. They will use their brains, wit, and sneaky...

When Gretchen receives a phone call saying she’s to inherit an old mansion from a great-aunt, she is more than a little unsure. Her mother’s disappearance years ago made her think she would never hear anything more from that part of her family, but now she is being sent knee...

Red grew up using magic…badly. Now, she stays far away from it and only watches her Granny perform the wonders. When Granny gets sick, magic may be the only thing that can save her life. Red begins a journey to face her fears, along with the help of a chatting...

Though part of Kol’s life brings excitement in the form of hunting and gathering for his clan, his romantic life is nonexistent, given there are no young women his age around. When Mya and her family arrive from a nearby clan, Kol is hopeful something could happen between them. However,...

Now that Lois is at home in Metropolis, she’s started finding a rhythm: enjoying her reporter job, interacting with her friends, flirting with SmallvilleGuy, and diving into another unexpected mystery. Lois doesn’t know much about her friend Maddy’s twin (other than the twins don’t get along), but when Maddy’s twin...

When a father steals a rose from a beast, the daughter offers to stay with the beast forever to save her father. Little does Beauty or Beast know how transformative love can be until they open their hearts to each other. The story of Beauty and the Beast is known...

Young dragon Little Wing struggles to fly. After practicing and practicing, he finally gets the hang of it, but then he doesn’t know how to stop. When he flies too far away, he has to find a way back to his home and remember the dragon rules his mother taught...

Emelina Flores is out for vengeance and justice. Her people, the Ruined, have been ceaselessly slaughtered, and her sister, the one set to one day rule the Ruined, has been kidnapped. Though Emelina is considered a useless Ruined (not having any of the magic the others do), she will do...

In Imperial Russia, two enchanters train their magic, unknowingly preparing for a competition neither exactly agree with. The Crown’s Game is an ancient battle between enchanters; the winner earns the title of Imperial Enchanter and advisor to the tsar, while the loser is sentenced to death. Vika Andreyeva has power...