BOOK REVIEW: "The Labyrinth Wall" by Emilyann Girdner

Inside the labyrinth, cruel Creators make their creations, known as Mahk, scrounge for food and water, mine obsidian for an unknown reason and treat them worse than wild animals.
Araina, the lead character in Emilyann Girdner's The Labyrinth Wall, is seventeen...or so she thinks. She doesn't know. She's solitary, finding friendship with a beautiful bird she named Blue, because she knows that other Mahk are ruthless and have to kill just to get enough to eat.
One day she runs into another Mahk named Darith and they witness a strange man coming through the Labyrinth wall like magic and they vow to find him and escape...even knew kills them.

What a book! The Labyrinth Wall is a fast read for upper-YA and older. Before I knew it, an hour and a half had passed and I'd gotten 300 pages into the book!
The story is straightforward, about captivity, survival and trust amongst the emotionally wounded. Mahk are almost slaves, browbeaten and starved. Creators are evil, but very complex. Each page brings about new information about the labyrinth and its inhabitants (aside from the Mahk...like the cannibalistic Nabal and the creepy canine-like man Sir Riddles).
The characters are all unique and each have their good and bad points, including our heroine, Araina, and the other Mahk she meets up with. Korun is kind with a strange healing ability, Soll is odd-looking but a great leader and little Keelie is too adorable for words.
There is violence, action, danger and vivid escape plans, making this a book that will tantalize your mind and hold you captive till its done.
This book is not just a journey to freedom, but an emotional journey teaching about trust, betrayal, survival, the brutality of people and, most of all, friendship. You don't have to be a teen to enjoy this! A wonderful book that will leave you wanting more!

5/5--A must-add for your TBR list!

Purchase The Labyrinth Wall via:

Amazon
Goodreads
B&N

BOOK REVIEW: "Transfixion" by J. Giambrone

Every so often, you read a book that makes you stay up till all hours of the morning just so you can finish it. Transfixion is that book.

Kaylee Colton is a high school girl and bibliophile. She has just received the latest book in her favorite series, Ghostliest, and all she wants to do is read it. No TV, no internet. Just good ol' ghost hunters Jasmine and Kurtz.
But then, the world ends.
Everyone has been hypnotized by the TV and computer transmissions. She watches as her older brother stabs their mother to death. On a quest for survival, she meets a bad boy named Dustin and they hole up with a few other survivors in the high school, but is it a futile attempt, add the rest of the world has gone insane?

First of all, this is NOT your typical YA dystopian novel. It's not the future. It's right now, featuring kids just like us, including the endearing main character, Kaylee The Bibliophile. Dustin could be the bad boy you crush on in the back of the class, Sara your little sister, and the other kids your classmates.
Aside from the believability of the characters, there's the vivid way in which Mr. Giambrone tells the tale. You're inside Kaylee's mind, you're watching the "dupes" try and kill all the normal people. You're fighting along with her.
She's also got a psychological quirk, suddenly becoming mute after the events occur. It's a topic for discussion for sure one you've read the book.
There's everything from a to z in this story, and it will keep you up all night (I'm writing this at one in the morning). Your next obsession? Transfixion.

5/5--absolutely amazing! Must read!

Purchase Transfixion via:

Amazon

Barnes And Noble

Createspace (paperback)