Juliana Brandt

Smashwords book reviews by Juliana Brandt

  • Cornerstone on Dec. 06, 2011
    (no rating)
    I'm always a bit peeved when books jump straight into the action without letting me fall in love with the main character first (the exception being mysteries, of course ;). Misty Provencher obviously knew what she was doing when she wrote the first chapters of Cornerstone. I couldn't help but sympathize with Nalena because of her house filled with paper, the questions Nali's mother refuses to answer and the strange powers that begin to surface in her mind and body. Nali's life is thrown out of whack and I was left flipping pages as fast as I could to find out the answers as Nali did. The action was fast-paced, intense and so well written that I couldn't help but be immersed in the story. And my-oh-my, Ms. Provencher outdid her self with her male lead- Garrett. The scenes between Nali and Garrett had my heart turning to goop and hoping so badly they would end up together. Garrett is strong, self-assured and above all, truly dedicated to Nali. Plus, he's hot and so dreamy! Does it get better than that?? I must admit, I'm hooked and am eagerly awaiting the next installment!
  • The Doll on Dec. 06, 2011

    I must admit, I'm not a fan of horror. Frankly, it creeps me out. J.C. Martin is such a fabulous storyteller though that once I read the first page, there was no other option but to read the rest. Joyce visits the Island of the Dolls, where corpse-like dolls are strung from trees. Creepy right? From there, Joyce's world slowly falls apart as she realizes a spirit from the Island has followed her and her daughter home. I thought I had The Doll's ending pegged. That it would have a cliche ghost story ending, but boy was I wrong. The ending had me thrown for a loop that made me go bad and read the whole thing again. Can't wait for more from Martin!