Whisper by Alyson Noel

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Macmillan

Pages: 215pgs

The Story

Twelve-year-old Riley Bloom - ace Soul Catcher - faces her toughest challenge yet. She must travel to ancient Rome and convince dead gladiator Theocoles to accept his fate and move on. Then she meets the charming Messalina, who gives Riley a dramatic makeover, transforming her into a beautiful teenager. Finally Riley experiences her first kiss . . . In a world this enchanting, will she ever want to leave?

The Review

A big thanks to MacMillan for sending me a review copy of this book!

Ever since her death, twelve-year-old Riley Bloom has been a Soul Catcher and her next assignment will become her most challenging one of all. But how can an average twelve-year-old girl possibly face down the furious and strong Theocoles, a Roman gladiator who is also known as the Pillar of Doom? Well, many Soul Catchers before her time have tried to make Theocoles move on from his spiritual afterlife, but no one has ever actually succeeded and it's now up to Riley to seek help where necessary in order to bring this gladiator down once and for all. With more challenges, more dangers and even new love on the horizon, Riley will soon be caught up in a world where everything is possible, even when you're dead.

WHISPER, the fourth installment of Alyson Noel's Riley Bloom series, might not be my typical read since it's a middle-grade novel, but it's a very sweet novel regardless of that factor. The thing I love most about this little delightful series is Riley herself and as a character it's great to see her finally growing up and becoming the Soul Catcher she has always was meant to be. The same goes with the side characters too, including Bodhi, Riley's guardian and guide to the spiritual world, whom has also grown within this series but I kind of wished Bodhi played more of part in this book but I'll guess we'll see in the future.

Without revealing too much of the book since it's a quick read for me, I will say I was a bit wary of how Noel would tackle the whole gladiator aspect of the story. For once, I haven't read a single book about gladiators and secondly I didn't see how well everything would play out in this particular novel . . . but since I love Rome and since everything in this novel was solved in the end, like seen in the previous books, I'm still happy to have quickly read through this new chapter of the series and it was all so very cleverly written. So I applaud the author for writing such a great read even in the shortest amount of pages. It was very well done.

Overall, WHISPER was yet another great installment in the Riley Bloom series and while most of my readers may not like reading middle-grade novels, but I think if you're a fan of Alyson Noel's Immortals series then you'll like this series as well since our heroine Riley is Ever's younger sister and she's remains to be a fun character with a lot of feelings. So definitely give this one a shot if and when you can!

The Rating

3/5 stars

Dreamland by Alyson Noel

Release Date: 1st August, 2011

Publisher: Macmillan

Pages: 208pgs

The Story

Riley Bloom's afterlife is about as good as it gets, except she'll never be a teenager. Riley desperately wants to speak to her older sister, Ever, and ask her advice. Ever is still alive and the only way Riley can reach her is to search for Dreamland a place where ghosts can jump into dreams and talk to their loved ones. But when she finally gets there Riley discovers Dreamland isn't as heavenly as it sounds. In fact, it's a total nightmare.

The Review

I wasn't sure what to expect in the third installment of the Riley Bloom series. I've read the first two books in this new spin-off series and they were nice, very light and entertaining reads, but I wasn't a huge fan of them since they're considered 'middle-grade' novels which I rarely read. But I still had a go with the third book and it was interesting enough.

First of all, it's easy to connect to the characters and Riley in particular is as sassy as ever, although her fiery attitude can get her into some deep trouble sometimes. She's probably one of the few reasons why I've continued with this series. And, of course, there's her dog, Buttercup, who is really cute. On the other hand you have this guy named Bodhi - Riley's hottie guide - who doesn't have a lot of spotlight this time round. Having the lack of Bodhi . . . it was pretty unfortunate because they're going their separate ways during the course of this book and I just want our Bodhi back to make the book interesting again. Sighs. Anyway aside from that small disappointment, it's still easy to see Riley crushing on Bodhi but she's completely oblivious to the fact of that . . . but then again which girl isn't oblivious to their boy crushes? Without going into too much detail, let's just say there's an adorable and very sweet scene between Riley and her older sister Ever, whom was our main heroine from Noel's previous Evermore series. That was great to read about and it's about time too!

Overall the plot is easy to follow and it kept me reading til the end - mostly because of the characters than the storyline itself. With a feel-good setting and likable characters, DREAMLAND is well worth the read if you're already a fan of Alyson Noel's novels or if you're looking for a read that won't take up too much of your time.

The Rating

3/5 stars

Shimmer by Alyson Noel

Release Date: 5th August, 2011

Publisher: Macmillan

Pages: 208pgs

The Story

Having solved the matter of the Radiant Boy, Riley, Buttercup, and Bodhi are enjoying a little time-off. But then Riley encounters a young ghost named Rebecca. Despite Rebecca's sweet appearance, Riley soon learns she's not at all what she seems. As the daughter of a former plantation owner, Rebecca is furious about being murdered during the slave revolt of 1733. Her uncontrollable anger is keeping other ghosts, who also died in the revolt, trapped in a shimmering bubble. And when Bodhi and Buttercup inadvertently fall into Rebecca's trap, Riley is the only one who can save them.

The Review

A big thanks to Lauren from Macmillan for sending me a review copy of this book!

If you haven't read my review on the first Riley Bloom's book, Radiance, you can read it here. For the second installment of Alyson Noel's spin-off series, SHIMMER, after a well deserved 'vacation', Riley runs into a vicious black dog and now she wants to help that dog cross over. But when she crosses over into a place controlled by the whims of another ghost . . . things are bound to get into more trouble than it's worth. This other ghost, Rebecca, seems sweet and trusting, but she lives off fear, hatred, and any other negative emotion. And now it's up to Riley to figure out how to help Rebecca cross over - at the bridge - as well as stopping other ghosts being trapped by Rebecca herself along the way.

I admit, I was a 'little' disappointed by the first book in the spin-off series, however SHIMMER manages to pull off another great Riley adventure. Plus there were many underlying messages throughout the book - including forgiveness - that a lot of younger readers will take away and really think about. The only reason why I'm giving this book three stars is mainly because of it being a middle grade novel. I rarely read middle grade novels as they tend to be too young in 'feeling' if you get what I mean. Other than that, this book was enjoyable. Riley especially was a fun character to read about and it's great to see that she's coming into her own . . . which is why readers love her a lot.

So if you're a fan of Noel's previous Immortals series or have read the first book Radiance, then be sure to check out this book. However, it might not be for everyone. Unless of course you enjoy a quick and fun-paced light adventure!

The Rating

3/5 stars