Chess DesallsRezensionen

I received this book as part of the early reviewer's program. Admittedly, I did not know that it was the third in the series when I requested it and i have not read the first two. However, this didn't impact the reading experience much as there were great recaps, character bios, and appendices to explain anything I may have missed. It was also relatively easy to parse out what had happened in earlier books. The plot is really rich and there is abundant potential for spin offs and side stories. My issues with this work were not with the plot or planning - it was unfortunately with the writing. Everything was told rather than shown and allowed no room for readers to form connections with the characters. Conversations felt stilted and awkward because the author was trying to pack information into them in ways that normal conversation doesn't flow. Again - the premise of the whole series is incredible! I could easily see this being made into a multi-season TV series that garners an incredible following. But in its current format it reads more like a blocking script for that tv series than it does a novel. There is just not enough description and emotion poured into these chapters to allow readers to be fully immersed in the incredible worlds that are waiting between the lines.

A bit difficult for me because I didn't read the previous books in the series. The story was interesting and I feel anyone who is familiar with the series would enjoy this "chapter".

This was a short read; however, I just couldn't get into the story. The point of the story I was able to get to Silvie helped Juline teleport to Maroz. Juline's mother Rizza was putting out calls for Juline to come. Rizza had created a device that she could not get to work. She was calling Juline because she knew she could get it working. Once Juline is in Maroz, Rizza shows her the device and asks Juline to attempt to get it to work. Juline is not able to make it work. Juline and Silvie is given a room to sleep. Once they are alone, Juline asks Silvie to take them away as the device was made up of stolen travel objects and was put together to create a dark device. This is as far as I was able to get. Even though I couldn't get into the story, I do believe there are individuals who would really enjoy Shadow Clocks.

World building, good vs. evil, complex characters...these are all elements that could and should make a story great. Determined Silvie, a healer, is chosen to retrieve the stolen articles that are used to make the time device. Her other-worldly friend, Juline is there to help (or is she?). When they find the objects, it is up to the good ones to retrieve them and stop them from being used in a sinister plot.

Shadow Clocks (The Song of Everywhen #3) is obviously the continuation of a series. Not having read the first two, I was lost. There was not enough backstory to mesh all the pieces together. The enormous mass of characters added to the confusion. Additionally, the back-and-forth between worlds, characters, and events was disorientating since the backstory was not reinforced.

Thank you to LIbraryThing Early Reviewers, Czidor Lore, and Chess Desalls for this ARC.

I was thankful to receive Mer and Her through the LibraryThing early reviewer. The cover is beautiful and I loved the idea of it. Overall reading it though I was kinda meh. There were parts that didn't really make sense and the pacing felt off. Things that seemed important were glanced over quickly and more mundane activities were gone into detail that didn't need to be there. It was an okay book with a lot of potential to be better.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's short, visually appealing, and magical. I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program and was delighted to also receive a letter from the author and stickers to add to the inside as a book signing.

The story moves fast and a few things felt unexplained, specifically some of the later-discovered abilities of the main character, but the values hold strong here. The sea people were so interesting to imagine that I wished the book included some graphic of how the author imagined their appearance.

This book held ties with a lot of my interests: swimming, mysteries, royalty, and the outdoors. I think many young readers will enjoy this selection.

I really enjoyed this story because it was a quick and satisfying read! This story is on the shorter side, more like a novella. For those reasons, scenes move fast and there may be ideas that are left untethered. That being said, I don’t feel like I missed out on anything. The world building of the Perlnauts (mermaids) is different and interesting! The power of the pearls and transformation powers were really neat and nothing I’ve seen before. There was great depth of character and chemistry with the two main characters. There was drama and mystery and I couldn’t put it down! The epilogue was perfect and I would love to read more short stories with the Perlnauts! A quick, easy read that I enjoyed.

Hazel receives a necklace from her grandfather for her 17th birthday. She appreciates its beauty, but doesn’t understand where it came from until she meets an ancient lake dweller named Kai, whose kingdom is in desperate need of retrieving the jewelry collection from which Hazel’s necklace came from.

The cover of this book is what caught me first -it’s beautiful and captivating. I immediately wanted to know what it was about.

Overall, this had a very interesting story and I was very intrigued by it… but, I do wish it went more into detail about events. Sometimes I felt like, as a reader, I was just being told that something happened, rather than being shown it. For example, I really wish we saw more of Hazel and Benton and their dynamic and relationship. I didn’t ever really know what to expect with it and kind of felt like it was thrown in there to be there?

I also felt like there were still holes in the storyline at the end…

I still enjoyed this story and the world that Chess Desalls made with these lake sweller creatures - I just wish we could have been more engrossed in it. If this was maybe double the amount of pages, it would have been fantastic.

*Thank you LibraryThing, Czidor Lore, LLC, and Chess Desalls for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I received this book as part of an early reviewer request. As soon as it arrived, I was enchanted by the beautiful cover and couldn't wait to dive in. I enjoyed the story and was drawn to the main character, Hazel, as she worked to uncover the mystery behind her grandmother's pearl jewelry collection and its connection to the lake. Parts of the book were a little abrupt and I wish there had been a little more description concerning these parts, although this lack of depth did not make the story any less delightful. A great book for middle grade and YA students who enjoy fantasy.

I wrote this story companion to help readers navigate two series and more than a decade of world building.

The PDF edition is no longer available. An updated version of this material is now included in The Song of Everywhen box set.

Without a gift, memories will fade in time.

Shirlyn travels back in time to ancient Persia where she meets the three magi who follow the Star of Bethlehem. After a mishap threatens to send her ride home without her, the youngest mage exhibits a hidden talent that leaves an impression on his elders and on Shirlyn's heart. But his silhouette will forget they ever met, unless she leaves a reminder that comes with a heavy price.

I received a free copy of this book from the Early Reviewers.
I really enjoyed this book. I have alwasy thought of fireflies as magical, and Chess Desalls just confirmed it in this book. The story was very heartwarming. And, taught a valuable lesson: you never know what burdens people are enduring.
My only complaint was how short the book was. I felt like there was plenty of room for more content, and character development. But, it also was nice to be able to finish it during my commute. Since reading this, I'm looking forward to other works by this author.

Full review to come!

Full review to come!

*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Serah Kettel interviews with Master Machin to be an apprentice, to tend to the lanterns and let him know when one burns out. Machin asks her which new lantern bulb she likes. When she touches the one she picks, it smokes inside and she feels a shock that lands her on the ground. She's to return for her position as apprentice. When she returns, she expects to learn Machin's secrets to the lanterns. She didn't expect to live it.

Janine is a new voice for me. I thought she did well with the accents of Havenbrim and where Serah ends up. Giving each land a different feel from each other. The audio book sounded seamless as Janine narrated.

Serah is from a time when Halloween is very different than it is now, or where she ends up. Halloween scares Serah with all the creatures, blood, and body parts we have at parties. Seeing this new world and the way things are done opens Serah's eyes to what's important in life, and what she really wants with her family.

Of course we get a pleasant ending for Serah, after all. But the journey to the end is different through the globes. It's different for each person. I didn't expect the story to take the turn it did here, and I like it. The globe, the locket that's a door, and the delight to see who's where in the end. I know it sounds like I'm rambling, but it'll all make sense when you read or listen to the story.

Machin is always an interesting catalyst for stories. He creates the lanterns which lead these characters down their paths to where they need to be in their lives. I'm not sure if he finds them or if they find him, but he knows they will eventually find their happy ending.

It's a pleasant story that Young Adults can read/listen to and enjoy what the characters learn along the way about themselves.

I won this audio-book in a LibraryThing giveaway. Peak into six unusual perspectives within 90 minutes... a very creepy clown book that delighted but haunted me. ... a magical musical gift from a dead parent... a reincarnated musical instrument gets another life... a special pouch uniquely fashioned ... a tiny princess that fights rats and plays with dolphins ... the moon is actually cheese! These are undeniably teen/adult level stories! Brilliant writing by author Chess Desalls. Narrator Jill Maglione gives verbal life to each character and setting so that the writing comes vibrantly alive in my mind's theater.

I won this as an audio-book in a LibraryThing Member giveaway. Wow... pretty darn good! The narrator, Janine Haynes, was awesome and the writer, Chess Desalls, even better. The characters were well developed for a novella. The time/ different-world travel was a great twist. I was actually starting to get attached to the characters when the story ended... I must have more!

Marian, Sal, and Endrick are in summer school. But nit just any summer school... Glisten school. Glistens are guardian fairies that answer human calls for help. Their professor gives them a last chance project... answer the call of a ward. Quite a challenge for non-commissioned Glistens, but Marian indeed feels the call. But there's a catch... her ward doesn't want anyone to know about her. How can Marian complete the project with her group when she can't talk about her ward?

I thought this was a great book. It's a wonderful story for teens and young adults. Really well written, and sure kept me interested.

*I received a copy of this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.

*This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review, at my request.

Valcas doesn't know if he should go find Calla, but finds himself on the journey to find her. When he and Calla's family conclude she's lost, they try their hardest to find and save her. In doing so they learn secrets that the Time and Space Travel Agency wanted kept quiet. Things that could change everything as it's run now.

Jamie is new to me and new to the series. This book is from Valcas's POV so it brings in a male voice to tell the perspective. Then the story switches to Calla's POV in the last half, or Part 2 of the story. He does small changes for tones and feel of voices for different people; softer for female, scratch for older man, and proper for formal male speak.

It's been a while since I listened to the previous books. I think because of this the beginning feels larger than I'm ready for. It feels as though I'm getting a brood range of items all at once and not sure what is now and what has happened already. Valcas feels as though his mind is all over the place and makes it harder for me to narrow in on something.

Time is a tricky topic, and could be discussed in many angles for hours. The concept of time travel, daily reminders, slices of time, and much more are interesting concepts. They feel like topics I could debate and discuss with friends, based on the world created here. They would be deep and detailed discussions that would lead to more terms and ideas for the world. I really like them. There are moments I'm not 100% clear on details as we learn new aspects to the time traveling, like Chars. I first thought these were the Uproar, but figure out they are different. But, what are they or where from? What draws them to the travelers?

This book feels to spend time describing more rules and worries of the traveling. It also feels to be used to raise suspension of the TSTA (Time and Space Travel Agency). It feels slower in action as we learn about the lost and start to question why or how. We see Plaka and Calla do what they do best, heal. But the characters don't feel as personable to me in this story as they did in previous ones. Was it the narrator or the writing? I'm not sure. I didn't feel as drawn to them as I had before.

As I went through the book, it felt more and more as a transition to a new plot arc in the series, however it ends like it's the conclusion too. I liked the story and things we learned here, but at times I didn't see the connections of why things were connected or people were searching for things. Maybe if I had read the book, this way I could have re-read sections, it would sink in better. I don't know.

*This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review at my request.

Marian Spritz is in summer school due to poor grades, and still struggling with spells with her best friend Sal and Endrik, the handsome boy, seems to like Marian where Minx, the mean girl, is jealous of their flirting. Along with their Last Chance Project, helping a fictional ward, they will also have to help a real live being. Should something happen, they are to use their group to help them. Twelve students now have their projects, due in three weeks. The song for help sings through a Glistens veins, when the veil is lifted which their professor does. When Marian's ward asks her to keep her troubles a secret, and ward to guardian secret, it complicates Marian's school project as she's to work with Sal and Endrik to finish, and now can't.

Julie is a new voice for me. And listening to her in the first chapter, I liked her. She does different attitudes with slight voice differences for us to easily separate and get a feel for the characters. This is something that really pops with audiobooks, we don't get when reading. But I think there is a slight ting to Julie's voice, almost an echo. It's hard to tell and could be nothing, or could fit with the fairy feel. For the most part, Julie flows the words as she narrates. However there are moments where she feels as she's working to enunciate the words properly and clearly.

This is a short story at just over 2 hours audio. It feels like a lovely little story for young adults, in middle school and up, to read/listen to. It brings to the front that promises are made and you honor them, but it's also good to talk to others. That others can help. Sometimes, working as a group is better than alone. And, sometimes, helping those that are not so nice means a great deal to them.

I like Marian. She worries and feels bad, but she's also not perfect. Her attention strays when in class, causing her to miss information from class and such. But this feels like a normal person. But when she learns she's got a ward, she does worry about that person, even if it's someone she never expected.

Enrik is the possible boy distraction, love interest, in this story. He sounds sweet. He's also concerned for Marian when he sees her during her moments that she feels the song. Marian is determined to not let him be a distraction, I like this take on her relationship with Enrik.

Sal is so worried. She comes across as whiny at times, but that's her personality. She's so stressed over the great chance of failing this summer course and never becoming a Glisten. She's so worried that she doesn't want Enrik and Marian to become romantically involved as it would be a distraction from their projects, and they'll fail. And much on her mind with her father's disappearance.

One thing I find cool, it's near my home town! They are in Pennsylvania and near the Allegheny River. Pittsburgh is even mentioned. Cool beans!

It was a cute short story.

I was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That in no way changes my opinion of this book. This review is my thoughts and my thoughts only.

The book started off very fast pace, with so much going on at once with the main character, Calla, that I had a hard time to keep up. She encounters several new characters in a short period of time, with so much else going on. I felt lost for a good part of the book. It wasn’t until the last 20% of the book was I really interested in the story line and felt a need to find out the truth behind so much that was hinted at throughout the book. If offered book 2 in exchange for a review, or it appears on Amazon for free, then I will pick it up and give it a try. Otherwise, this story ends here for me.

I really wanted to like this book, as I love books about time travel. I just could not get into it. Perhaps a pre-teen or young teen would like it more than I did.

Sigue hacia abajo para encontra la reseña en español.

I got this review copy from NetGalley.

I liked this book. It has a very original way of travelling through time, which is the use of special glasses. You have to be careful though, because extensive use of them will change your eyes.

This book is a bit slow, but from what I've seen, it's the first one in a series and it becomes clear towards the end that all the questions are not going to be answered in this first novel. One of the big mysteries is solved, but there are still enough open questions to keep readers interested in the series. I am very curious to learn what happened to a certain character. I'm not going to say who to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, but I'm definitely going to read the next book.

I didn't find any major negative points. The main character, Calla, is mostly realistic and it helps a lot that she is as clueless about what's going on as the reader, so our questions are her questions as well. One thing that struck me as odd is how easily she trusts Valcas when she first meets him. She has recently been betrayed by someone who she thought that she could trust, so I thought it was at least unusual that she would trust a complete stranger so fast. She goes out for dinner with him right after meeting him! It's a public place, but still. The main antagonist is both creepy and interesting enough to make me wonder what he really wants and what happened in his life to make him the person that he is now, which is what our main character wonders as well when she travels back in time and learns that he used to be a very nice and decent boy, who had a lonely childhood.

Something that I found very strange is the aging of the characters who travel back and forth in time. I may have missed something, but I don't understand how they don't age the same way as someone who hasn't experienced time travel. I mean, if they've spent a month in the past, then, in their personal time line, they're a month older. They shouldn't magically stay young, but they do. I hope that the aging bit is explained in further novels, because it left me more than a bit confused.

In general, a good novel for any time travelling fans and a good start of a series.

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Me gustó el libro. Presenta una forma muy original de viajar en el tiempo, que es el uso de una gafas especiales. Sin embargo, hay que tener cuidado, porque un uso extenso de ellas cambia la apariencia de los ojos.

Este libro es un poco lento, pero por lo que he visto, es el primero de una serie y queda claro hacia el final que no se va a contestar a todas las preguntas en esta novela. Se resuelve uno de los grandes misterios, pero quedan todavía preguntas suficientes para mantener a los lectores interesados en la saga. Tengo mucha curiosidad por descubrir qué le sucedió a uno de los personajes. No voy a decir a quién, ya que intento evitar spoilers, pero pienso leer el siguiente libro.

No encontré ningún gran punto negativo. El personaje principal, Calla, es en general realista y ayuda mucho que esté tan perdida como el lector, así que nuestras dudas también son sus dudas. Algo que me pareció un poco raro es la facilidad con la que se fía de Valcas en cuanto lo conoce. Ella ha sido traicionada recientemente por alguien en quien confiaba, así que me pareció por lo menos inusual que confiara en un completo extraño tan rápidamente. ¡Incluso queda a cenar con él poco después de encontrarse con él por primera vez! Es un sitio público, pero aún así. El antagonista principal es lo suficientemente siniestro e interesante para que me pregunte lo que quiere conseguir y lo que le pasó en su vida para convertirlo en la persona que es ahora, algo que nuestro personaje principal también se pregunta cuando retrocede en el tiempo y descubre que fue un chico amable y decente que tuvo una infancia solitaria.

Algo que me pareció bastante extraño fue el modo de envejecer de los personajes que viajan en el tiempo. Puede que haya pasado algo por alto, pero no termino de entender cómo es que no envejecen del mismo modo que quienes nunca han viajado en el tiempo. Si han pasado un mes en el pasado, entonces, en su línea temporal personal, son un mes mayores. No deberían permanecer jóvenes, pero es lo que ocurre. Espero que el envejecimiento sea algo que se explique en futuras novelas, porque me dejó algo confusa.

En general, es una buena novela para cualquier fan de los viajes en el tiempo y un buen comienzo de una saga.

*I requested to review a copy of this audiobook for an honest review from the author or narrator.

Three magi follow the Star of Bethlehem, carrying gifts to welcome the newborn child.

Shirlyn's father is an inventor, and obsessed with time travel. His gift to Shirlyn and her mother is to travel back to the first Christmas, and observe the three magi. Shirlyn finds she grows attached to those of the past, but there are laws against leaving reminders. But can she leave without leaving a piece of her?

Janine's narration is done with a clear voice and flow. The accent voiced for Shirlyn feels to fit her, as it's what I thought she'd sound like. Janine has an accent I can't place when she speaks as the three magi. Janine expresses the feelings Shirlyn is feeling in voice as Shirlyn thinks and tells the story. The background is clear and seamlessly flows through the chapters.

This is a Christmas story at the heart. When Shirlyn sees the Christmas star she's taken by the sight. Her description is beautiful. Her and her family follow the star, her father hoping to cross paths with the three magi to study them. We experience the travels of the three magi following the Star of Bethlehem to welcome the child. We learn of the three magi's and what gifts they bare. But when Shirlyn sees the young Balthazar, she is attracted to him and he is her age. Balthazar is a special person as well. What he can do, and it's a touch of magic, is beautiful.

This feels like this is Shirlyn's first experience with time travel. We get to experience the effects of traveling, goggles/visors to protect eyes from the blanching effect, the change of traveling vehicle, and the affect of their arrival. Shirlyn's father, Edgar, also tells her of the rules of time travel.

Shirlyn is a young girl and we get a feel of so from her. Shirlyn is young and influential. She finds kind and sweet young men in her travels. Shirlyn falls for them each too. Shirlyn feels she's been impacted by meeting those of the past and she wants them to remember her as much as she'll remember them. Shirlyn is so young in her thinking and it shows, naive in a sense. Then we see Shirlyn meet Romaso for the first time too.

This story is set in the world of "The Call to Search Everywhen". You do NOT need to read the series first to read this one. This is a story of a secondary character's adventure to the past. We do get a few drops of the time travel agency and ways here. There are rules and consequences, but Shirlyn is just learning as she's new to traveling with her family. She hasn't seen any negative affects yet. Maybe you'll become curious of the world at a larger view after this story.

*I requested to review a copy of this audiobook for an honest review from the author or narrator.

Tori is at her grandma's 18th century home for a Halloween vacation with her family. Exploring the grounds Tori take a wrong path in returning to the home. Following a light, hoping to find her way home, Tori comes to a single lit, metal and glass lantern hanging on a pole. When she leaves the lantern, it flashes frantically at her. Learning from Grandma that the lantern never worked, Tori is now curious of the lantern and needs to investigate it more! Tori finds something special with the lantern.

I love when narrators do strong different tones and personalities for characters. Jill does just that! Kimmy is a toddler, and Jill does a wonderful youngster voice. Even for Tori, when Tori talks to her little brother Kimmy, it's as many talk to toddlers and different when she talks to her friend and adults. Oh the attitude in Moretta came through loud and clear. Grrr, I don't like her for that. lol. Well done. A slight accent for Grandma as well.

This story is short, so I'm going to keep my thoughts short too, as to not give away to much of the story.

I love the sounds of the plantation. The large home reminds her of a haunted mansion and lots of different gardens. It sounds like a beautiful sight.

I like the feel I get from Tori and her family. She feels like a great family person even for a teenager of sixteen. She does defy her mother's rule, to not go to the lantern. Tori feels bad about it, but she still goes. She does talk to an adult about it, her grandmother. Tori seems like a good kid and raised well by her parents who are present and try to guide her on the right path. Tori also loves her little brother and treats him so well, even with 13 years difference between them. Jared seems like a sweet young man. He's had a hard life at home but he comes across as a good young man.

Jared and Tori's interactions are well done here as I felt they really were getting closer as the story went. Nothing about their times together felt forced in any way. This story was just the right length for the characters to grow fond of each other.

As much as I adore Tori and Jared, I really loved the hint of Machin and what he does. Machin is more than what we think, and the epilogue shows that. I loved it! I even wonder if we could see more stories from Machin's doings. -- When you get through this story, you'll understand why. ;)

The story is a sweet story. It's a perfect blossom of love story for Young Adults. Clean, innocent, and attracting. Lantern is a different idea and is lovely.

I loved this book! It is a YA fantasy book which is one of my favorite genres. This book would be great for reluctant readers. It isn't a long story, but has enough detail to keep your interest. I would like to read more from this author!