Book Review: The Exorsistah by Claudia Mair Burney

Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal

In The Exorsistah, Ms. Burney introduces us to Emme (pronounced Emmy) Vaughn, a feisty 17 year-old who can see demons. All she wanted was her plate of just-cooked french fries, but instead, she was attacked by the no-good husband of her friend, KiKi. She escapes and finds herself at a 24-hour Walgreens, pissed and hungry, with only a quarter to her name. To make matters worse, a demon has just walked in behind a suspicious looking man. Despite being tired and hungry, Emme is ready to kick some demon butt. Fortunately for her, she doesn't do it alone. She's joined by another customer, Francis, a cutie pie 'blacktino.' After all is said and done, Emme learns that Francis is in training for the priesthood - unfortunately for her - and wants her to join a team of exorcists/demon fighters. Will Emme accept the invitation or will she attempt to navigate the streets - and demons - alone?

Okay, I must say, Claudia Mair Burney is now one of my FAVORITE authors. The Exorsistah is my fourth Burney book and I have yet to be disappointed. Seriously. She's awesome. And I absolutely love Emme. She's led a pretty rough life, with traveling from foster home to foster home. Her mother, whom she misses so much, is unable to take care of her because she's been committed to a mental institution. Emme's had to deal with men trying to get a little too 'friendly.' She looks forward to her 18th birthday (33 days away) so she can finally be out of the foster care system and on her own.

The Exorsistah is a perfect example of a book with a strong female main character. I love the fact that, despite having it rough, Emme doesn't go about life with a 'woe is me' attitude. She has a hard time trusting (for obvious reasons), but she tries. And her voice! I love it, even with her 'Ebonics' way of talking. Ooh, and Francis...muy caliente! What a wonderful hero for our heroine.

The funny thing is, when I bought The Exorsistah, I had no idea the main character would be 17. I thought it would be an adult book. I definitely recommend it to both adults and teens, tho. Claudia Mair Burney has done it again! And I SO look forward to book #2, Exorsistah: X Returns. Its release date is on my birthday, September 28! What a perfect birthday present!

Rating: 5/5

Book Review: My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Genre: Young Adult

Be careful what you wish for.

After she's spent her last dollar on the perfect prom dress, Savannah's boyfriend dumps her for her big sister. Heartbroken and confused, Savannah wishes for a true prince to take her to the prom.

Enter Chrysanthemum "Chrissy" Everstar, Savannah's pink-haired teenaged "fair" godmother - she's not a good fairy student, hence the title. In granting Savannah her three wishes, Chrissy accidentally sends her back to the Middle Ages, once as Cinderella and once as Snow White. Third time Savanna makes a wish, Chrissy sends Tristan, a surprisingly cute boy from school, to the Middle Ages to become Savannah's prince. Savannah takes another trip back to help Tristan. In order to get back to the present, Tristan and Savannah has to battle a cyclops, dragon, and the mysterious, yet sexy Black Knight.

I have to admit, I love fractured fairy tales, especially humorous ones that feature teens of today. Rallison's, My Fair Godmother, is such fairy tale. I would have loved to have seen more of Chrissy, but her small role comes in at the right times. Even though Savannah appears to be somewhat of an airhead at times, you do find yourself cheering her on. And she doesn't stay an airhead, but grows through the course of the book.

I definitely recommend My Fair Godmother to readers looking for a light-hearted romantic comedy with likable characters!

Rating: 4/5

Random Thoughts Thursday

Of course, I've decided to join yet another challenge. This time, the 10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge. There's something about a challenge that makes me wanna do it. And I love reading, so I figured, why not? So, I'm joining in. Interested? Visit Kay Cassidy's Blog.

I, being the nerd I am, have more than 10 books on my list, but whatever. Some of these books are in my TBR pile, some haven't even come out yet. BUT all will get read.

• Forgive My Fins: Tera Lynn Childs
• Heist Society: Ally Carter
• Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover: Ally Carter
• Only the Good Spy Young: Ally Carter
• Cindy Ella: Robin Palmer
• Geek Charming: Robin Palmer
• Dork Diaries: Rachel Renee Russell (not sure if this is MG or YA, but I'm including it)
• Perfect Shot: Debbie Rigaud
• Sea Change: Aimee Friedman
• Need: Carrie Jones
• Captivate: Carrie Jones
• Evermore: Alyson Noel
• Wish: Alexandra Bullen
• As You Wish: Jackson Pearce
• Crescendo: Becca Fitzpatrick
• Eyes Like Stars: Lisa Mantchev
• Princess For Hire: Lindsey Leavitt
• The Lonely Hearts Club: Elizabeth Eulberg
• The Cinderella Society: Kay Cassidy
• The Reckoning: Kelley Armstrong
• Hearts at Stake: Alyxandra Harvey

And the list goes on. Some of these books I do plan to review. Happy Reading! P.S. I'm seriously looking for more MG/YA books for teens of color! I need more.

On another note, I'm not understanding why, after the Liar (which I'm reading now) book cover controversy, why would the publisher do it again? They drew fire for "whitewashing" another cover. The character in the Jaclyn Dolamore's, Magic Under Glass, is described as dark-skinned, while the model on the book cover is nowhere near. They've decided to cease supplying copies because the jacket design has caused offense. Ya think? Guess they didn't learn from the Liar controversy. Sometimes, things like this make me wanna self-publish, where I'll have total control over my jacket design. Either that, or fight for change in publishing...or maybe both. IDK. I'm disappointed that children/teens of color are being left out when it comes to books, whether it's jacket design or books period. This only makes me even more determined to write and publish books for these kids, so they can read about characters that look like them from authors that look like them.