Title: The Demon Girl
Author: Penelope Fletcher
Publisher: Smashwords
Published: October 7, 2010
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 191 (eBook)
Source: Personal Copy

Rae Wilder has problems. Plunged into a world of dark magic, fierce creatures and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet.

Rae finds herself beaten up, repeatedly, and forced to make a choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control.

Rae Wilder's life is very much a normal person's greatest nightmare. She's a Disciple, and she's training to be a Cleric, which means she lives in a world of monsters - vampires, shifters, goblins, witches and faeries, and as a Cleric, she's destined to fight these creatures. When circumstances change one day though, and Rae witnesses Clerics killing a young faerie, she knows she has to run. She happens upon Breandan who reveals Rae's hidden past and ignites a future of adventure, turmoil and struggles both internal and external.

I downloaded The Demon Girl onto my Nook because I saw it was up for grabs on Barnes & Noble. With a great cover and a cool, paranormal premise, I was really excited to try a book from a pretty much unknown author. Penelope Fletcher knows her demons. She has this innate ability to make her demons both creepy and terrifying but also human in emotion. The Demon Girl features a fun and intriguing plot full of twists and turns that seems sure to promise a fabulous thrill ride.

That said, despite a strong plot, The Demon Girl fell a good bit short for me. To be extremely blunt, the book was riddled with cliches and stereotypes, and everything sort of just fell into place with little or no extreme conflict. I also felt the insta-bond between Breandan and Rae was a bit Twilight-esque, if you will, failing to break through the mold. And, while I can easily overlook a few grammatical errors and such, some of the chapter jumps just killed me. We went from one situation in The Demon Girl to another one, entirely, with no transition at all.

I never like to give bad reviews, and I have a penchant for indie books, but The Demon Girl just didn't measure up to it's premise or plot potential for me. Perhaps some people will like it more than me. I give it a 2 out 5, and I'd recommend it to those who enjoy YA paranormal tales, especially those with faeries.

Title: The Mind Readers
Author: Lori Brighton
Publisher: Smashwords
Published: December 7, 2010
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 170 Pages (eARC)
Source: Author

Cameron Winters is a freak. Fortunately, no one but her family knows that Cameron can read minds. When Lewis Douglas arrives, he tempts her with possibilities of freedom. Determined to embrace her hidden talents, Cameron heads to a place where she meets other Mind Readers. But when the Mind Readers realize the extent of Cameron’s abilities, they want to use her powers for their own needs.

Cam is your typical small-town girl living in Maine, but she has a dark secret. She can read minds. Trained from a young age to shove her gift aside rather than draw attention, Cam knows she can never use her gift to help people in danger - even if she desperately wants to. Then, unbeknown to Cam, she discovers other mind readers and the possibility to be herself for the first time in her life. There's only one problem. Cam is powerful, and perhaps more powerful than any of the other mind readers. Is she finally finding acceptance, or is she being used?

I've never read anything by Lori Brighton before, but I know she's a fairly prominent adult author, so I figured I would check this one out when the author sent eARC to me. The Mind Readers is a fast-paced paranormal story blending romance, intrigue, and a secret dangerous threat that fuels the story throughout. With strong dialogue and a balance of descriptiveness, strong characterization and clear plot points, The Mind Readers easily sends the reader on a journey into a world within the story.

I have to say that while I enjoyed The Mind Readers, I had a really difficult time with Cam at first. She has this incredible gift with amazing power, and she seemed so...whiny...and annoying. However, she began to progress through the story, and she grew as a character, becoming strong and more self-aware. Lewis, one of the secondary characters and the love interest, is a character I would love to meet. (Seriously. Can I meet him?) He's sweet, well-rounded, and the perfect balance to offset Cam's personality and keep things balanced. Some of the other secondary characters, namely Annabeth, threw things off for me though, which made things a little bit more difficult.

All in all, The Mind Readers is a fast-paced and intriguing story, despite the few flaws that irked me. I give it a very strong 3.5 out of 5, and I'd recommend it to all those who enjoy Lori Brighton's writing and the YA genre, especially those who enjoy paranormal romance stories.

I received this eARC free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.