Melanie McFarlaneRezensionen

Decent entry in the YA dystopian category. Solid plot, interesting characters and good action. It needed one more line edit.

A pleasant and engaging story for young readers in need of a "short, high-interest novel with contemporary themes written specifically for middle-school students reading below grade level (publisher's description of Orca Current series)". This particular book concerns a mermaid abducted to the Canadian Prairies and now trapped in the lake at Buffalo Pound Provincial Park, Saskatchewan.

I was very interested in reading the book, because I have visited Buffalo Pound more than once, love it very much from afar, and hoped for some feeling of the place. I didn't really get that feeling, probably partly because the shortness of the book (115 pages) and the necessarily simplified presentation of the story did not allow for much description of the scenery (and the scenery at Buffalo Pound is truly magical and amazing, with the rounded hills looking like the back of sleeping buffalo that might wake, emerge from the earth, and suddenly speak), but also because I was just puzzled about the setting, like where the general store was that the kids were continually bicycling to. The only store I'm aware of within a reasonable distance of the park is the concession inside the park, and the details of this store didn't fit. It helps with this sort of thing if the author puts a small explanation in the back of the book to tell readers what they changed in the physical landscape. A map of the area would have been immensely helpful too. The kids travel all over the park, to places I recognize and places I didn't, and I couldn't keep up with it. If I didn't know the park at all, I wouldn't have been any less disoriented. Perhaps Orca will provide these in the final edition.

The heroine of the story is obsessed with treasure hunting, so I was quite surprised when she and her mother discuss her mom's plans to move to Moose Jaw and Macy is resistant, that rather than refer to the famous Moose Jaw tunnels (built, according to legend, by bootleggers -- the treasure potential must be almost as great as the historical interest), Mom just says that new places have new treasures. Meh. A great chance to get kids interested in Saskatchewan's history was missed there.

All in all, it's a book likely to engage young readers' attention. There are some good family scenes, and boy/girl cooperation between Macy and her friend Sam, and positive messages about the elderly neighbour whom the children initially misunderstand, who turns out to be a very interesting person indeed. Plus mermaid drama and treasure. Recommended.½

Cute children's book. Aimed at middle readers. Macy goes looking for treasure. She hopes to strike it rich so they won't have to move. She has a nice relationship with her Mother and brother.

This is a short and wonderful novel about a mermaid trapped in Buffalo Pound Lake, Saskatchewan. For some reason this makes it Canadiana although it could have been set anywhere away from the ocean. Grandma, dad and nine year old all enjoyed reading this. The characters are relatable and the setting makes you want to visit Saskatchewan, or at least this part of that province. As an aside, the book is friendly to dyslexic readers with a special font and paper. However, I know some people can't read serif heavy fonts and this font is very much a serif font so that might be a problem for those readers.

This was pretty good. It is fairly similar to other dystopian novels and the ever present love triangle annoyed me, but other than that, it was a good read. There are some things that I wished would have gone into more detail.

Set in Maine, USA, comes the tale of young Daciana (Dacie to friends), a sixteen year old with a unique and somewhat disturbing ability. Having just moved from California, Dacie is portrayed as an initially shy yet rebellious character, who pushes others away. As we learn more about her past, we begin to understand why.

This novel is a wonderful start to a series where secrets, teamwork and loss combine. The characters are a breath of fresh air and each have a distinct personality. You get a strong feel for Dacie's character through her story narration. She proves to be a determined individual that will do all she can to fix her mistakes.

I would recommend this to lovers of Paranormal and Fantasy novels. Highly addictive.
Rated 5/5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. I have been shying away from the dystopian future novels lately because they are kind of depressing but this one sounded kind of interesting so I thought I would give it a go and I am glad that I did.

Nat started off kind of immature, like most 18 year olds, and she owned it which was great but she really grew as the story went along and it was a great journey.

DNF 15%

This is written in first person, present tense. Nothing should ever, EVER be written in first person, present tense, as far as I'm concerned. I might have grit my teeth and stuck with it, but at about 15% the character started to learn her heritage and asking questions that required knowledge she couldn't yet have. I bailed. It's just not for me.

In my local Barnes and Noble there is a section and a category called "Teenage Supernatural Romance". Which I guess is what this is.

Dacie is a teen age girl in California who is growing up with a slightly crazy mother and not much in the way of friends and family.. Her mother dies and she is shipped across the country to dark and spooky Maine where her Aunt lives.

When she arrives there - on the eve of her seventeenth birthday - she starts seeing imps and ogres and monsters under the bed. She is a "Summoner" - someone who can bring demons from the Half World and return them afterwards too.

(In the Teaching we have a saying - "Don't summon anything you can't banish" - which would be a good motto for this book.)

And of course there are two hunky boys fighting it out for her, -- each "Supernatural" in his own way -- and there is "romance" as well as Grand Passion and silly misunderstandings in equal measure.

So OK. The world building and the structure around "Summoning" is interesting and well developed. The characters are engaging when they don't fall into "Twilight" and "Hunger Games" stereotypes. And if there is a sequel I'd like to read it.

But this one feels a little rushed and sometimes cliched. Given that our hero CAN summon, does she really HAVE to? Not clear.

Worth a look. And keep your eyes out for the next book in the series.

Absolutely loved this book! I couldn't put it down and I want more. I'm hoping there will be a next book taking us to Romania. Please, please tell me there is more!

Dacie is a 16 year old girl who has just lost her mother and was forced to move in with her Aunt Katya, who has a reputation as being just a bit crazy. As Dacie learns more about her family and her heritage she discovers that she, like the rest of her family, has the ability to summon and trap demons. Luckily Dacie soon meets Tryan who she learns is her Tovaros, a protector who is bonded to her for life and is charged with helping her control the demons she releases. Her relationship with Tryan has is bumps along the way and Dacie makes more than a few mistakes as she learns about her power. This was an interesting story filled with lots of action and some romance. I liked the characters and I thought the story was different than most paranormal books I've read lately. It was a fresh take on the genre which is always welcome. I found the writing to be a bit uneven and at some points the story was hard to follow. I think it went a little too fast, and some world building was sacrificed to keep the plot going. I think this is a promising start to a new series and I would be interested in reading more about Dacie. I received a free copy of the this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review through the early reviewers program.½

Set in Maine, USA, comes the tale of young Daciana (Dacie to friends), a sixteen year old with a unique and somewhat disturbing ability. Having just moved from California, Dacie is portrayed as an initially shy yet rebellious character, who pushes others away. As we learn more about her past, we begin to understand why.

This novel is a wonderful start to a series where secrets, teamwork and loss combine. The characters are a breath of fresh air and each have a distinct personality. You get a strong feel for Dacie's character through her story narration. She proves to be a determined individual that will do all she can to fix her mistakes.

I would recommend this to lovers of Paranormal and Fantasy novels. Highly addictive.
Rated 5/5 stars.

This the first book in a series and I wish the rest of the series was available now. It's the story of Dacie Cantar, her aunt Kayta and the small New England town her aunt lives in. Dacie is sent to live with Kayta after her mother is killed. She's just 16 and not far from turning 17 which according to her aunt is a major milestone in her life. Dacie begins to learn just what that new life will be when she starts seeing things that shouldn't be there and meets a new boy at school who is someone who will become very important in her life and the story. The original home of Dacie family is Romania and what Dacie is becoming and what the new boy Tyron already is all is connected to Romania. This is a fascinating story of legends and demons and a teenage girl coming of age in a new and frightening world. A world she has to learn to survive in because her mother's legacy has left her with a dangerous enemy. Some questions are answered but more are asked and awaiting the story to continue.

I received this book as an ARC for my honest review. When I first read the book description, I was a little intrigued, but yet a little thrown off not knowing yet what a summoner was. Melanie McFarlane really sets the book up nicely and really goes into detail what the back story of everything is. So that makes the story flow together great!

This story is about a soon to be 17 Dacie Cantar whose mother was recently killed and was taken in by her Romanian great-aunt Katya who Dacie thinks is crazy. But what Dacie doesn't tell people is that she thinks she is thinks she's going crazy because she keeps seeing shadow's, or so she thinks. Dacie isn't used to being around family because she never was around them her whole life. It was always just her and her mom. Now it was just Dacie (Daciana what her aunt calls her), her great-Aunt Katya, and Constantine the gardner in the family home in Maine when her aunt wants to go to Romania.

School starts and Dacie feels out of place but wants normal. When she runs into a boy in her art class that will forever stay on her mind. Dacie and this boy, Tryan, have electricity, literally. When out one evening, trying to be normal, something strange happens to Dacie. She learns things about her aunt, its too much. she goes home, and that's not much better.A Summoner has the ability to pull demons through paintings. But she she has the responsibility to police them and is responsible for their crimes is she doesn't try to get it back. It was all too much for her. So she runs, and She runs into Tryan and kisses him.

Dacie learns from Katya that she is a Summoner, just like her mother. But she shouldn't have her abilities until she is 17. Dacie learned that her mistake that night out would come back to haunt her due to the 3 rules of summoners. So when she had help the night of her first normal dance to get back her mistake it came in the form of Tryan. And her aunt let her know that he may be her "Tovaros" or soulmate. Dacie couldn't believe it. She was only 16, almost 17! But a tovaros is a companion to a summoner, and when together they are for life or until death.

Dacie and Tryan are at the house and she accidentally lets out an ogre and it hurts Tryan bad, only then it confirms to her aunt that Tryan is Dacie's tovaros because he was hurt so bad and then the next day he was pretty much healed. And that's the way it works with the bond of the summoner and tovaros.

Dacie starts to train with Constantine, and study the Book of Summoning. When Tryan goes out of town and comes back with a girl. Dacie gets a bit jealous. But Liana is his "babysitter" for helping an underage summoner bring demons through, even tough that's not how it happened.

When Dacie accidentally let's out a wendigo that eats people things get bad. But all the while Dacie is trying to be a normal teenager. But it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Dacie overhears Tryan saying something to Liana about her and of course she gets jealous and meets the wendigo and becomes hospitalized. This is where the relationship of Dacie and Tryan gets a bit rocky.

Dacie wants to prove herself as a summoner and Tryan is trying to protect her and he is getting frustrated with her. Especially since she was almost killed the last time she ran into the wendigo. So Dacie trains like crazy, meets new people. Works on her family tree paper. She meets Eli, a young boy who can bend light, and heal with the light. But he technically isn't supposed to be talking to Dacie, so says his father (haven't learned his name).

I don't want to say the end of the book. But I am looking forward to the next book! I want to know what happens with these characters and explore and see what different paths that they are going to go down. Melanie McFarlane really wrote a really good book here. As a reader you will not get lost one bit. Happy reading!

When you paint a picture, you put a little bit of your soul into that painting. What if it's not your soul, but a demon?
Summoner Rising gave an interesting take on the supernatural. The beginning read almost like a script, but once the author found her flow, I found it difficult to put down. Her descriptive words really did paint a picture of everything that was happening. I felt a connection with Dacie and Tryan and found myself cheering them as Dacie slowly learned the ways of the Summoners. I can't wait to find out how the story unfolds in the next one. I also look forward to reading an edited version of this book once it's been proofread.

After war ravages the planet, survivors are forced to live in domes to protect themselves from radiation. Natalia has grown up with only hazy glimpses of the stars in the sky. The new, orderly society sets rules to protect survivors as scientists work toward improving everyone’s quality of life.

Natalia follows the rules without question until the day she spies someone outside of the dome. After taking a job on the Expedition Team, she finds even more reasons to be skeptical about the lack of a sustainable existence on the other side.

Natalia was a great main character. She was likeable, smart, and loyal. I was also intrigued by the twists and turns of the story — I was never quite sure who was working with Natalia and who was secretly working against her. Eventually, she discovers the truth of what lurks behind the scenes of her seemingly idyllic society, through a combination of clues left by her mother and other scientists. Fans of YA dystopian fiction will enjoy this unique vision of a post-apocalyptic world and the citizens' fight for survival.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review on ebooksforreview.com. Lately I cannot lose with the books they offer.
This story seemed very familiar after I read the blurb but was pleasantly surprised at how fresh it turned out to be.
Nat Greyes has known nothing except life in Dome 1618. Here they are safe from the deadly levels of radiation outside. She's just turned 18, which is the age that a person chooses their occupation for the rest of their lives. But she has no clue what she wants to do.
While in her secret hiding place among trees in a forbidden area on the edge of the dome, she witnesses two men outside the dome. They do not have on suits to protect them but are surviving. One is taken into custody but the other escapes the dome's soldiers.
Her parents were famous scientists that died during an expedition to the outside. Nat knows that no one can find out that she saw the men and that she was in the forbidden forest, but she can't help wondering how the men survived. Where had they come from? Is it safe outside?
She's assigned a job with the science department due to who her parents were. There she meets Evan, the man from outside. He explains to her that he's come for her. The outside is safe and the dome is corruptly keeping them there and that all that she knows about her parents' accident are lies. She has the key to everything they need to take down the Order who controls the dome.
Crazy exciting book!!!! Sci-Fi, Mystery, Adventure, Horror, Romance.....Need I say more?

There Once Were Stars by Melanie McFarlane is an amazing book! It has everything a sci-fi nut wants in it. It has sci-fi, intrigue, suspense, government plot and cover-up, action, adventure, the unknown, creatures, a hint of romance, possibility of death at all times, twists and turns, surprises, and so much more! This book will keep you on your toes! Imagine living in a dome, told radiation outside will kill you if you ventured out. One day you see a stranger out there, and he sees you, the government catches him, and they catch you for seeing him. It is a scary world where anything can happen, and does. LOVED IT! I was given this for a honest review and it in no way effected my rating or review content. It is just great!

I am a big fan of dystopian post-apocalyptic fiction. This novel did not disappoint. Sometime in the future there was a massive viral outbreak resulting in the Cleansing Wars. Since then, the survivors and future generations have lived under a dome in order to avoid the nuclear fallout and uninhabitable environment outside. This is the story of Natalia Greyes who's parents were killed when she was nine. On her eighteenth birthday everything changes when she is confronted with Outsiders that have managed to survive outside of the dome and is led into the Axis. She becomes suspicious of the current government, the circumstances surrounding her parents death, and the new individuals who enter her life. Unsure of who she can trust she must navigate her adolescent feelings, her grief, and find a way to save the members of the dome from a terrifying fate. Very entertaining young adult, science-fiction read.

*In full disclosure I received a free copy of this Ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and plan to look for more books written by Ms. McFarlane. Set in a post apocalyptic world where everyone lives in domed cities for safety from the infection that wiped out the world. It sounds idyllic until you look closely. There are always want and abuse power. Seen through the eyes of a rather naive young girl on the verge of becoming a "productive" member of the society, it was an interesting read. I found my grownup self getting impatient with the young protagonist, but know that my young adult self would have been right there with her, feeling and seeing everything through her eyes. Read it! It's worth t!

I received this book as an early review.

I loved this book! I really enjoy this genre of book, and I thought this was really well written. It was an easy read and flowed so well I finished it in a day. A very entertaining read

The residence of the Dome live within its boundaries in order to survive the deadly radiation that was unleashed several generations ago. Natalia, whose parents died exploring the outside, begins to question everything when she sees a stranger on the outside. Natalia is taken from her grandparents, and put on a scientific crew, the same one her parents were leading when they died.

Although this was an interesting premise, the author repeated the same information over and over. Every chapter she told us about the virus, the cleansing and Natalia’s parents. The book seemed to move forward in illogical jerks. One moment Natalia’s grandfather was being dragged off. The next she was placed in a job that she was completely unqualified for. Overall, not a book I would reread.

This novel had me hooked from the very beginning! Although several things were predictable, I enjoyed the plot immensely and was pleased that there were some surprises. I also liked that the novel was fast-paced and filled with action and suspense. I would have liked to know what happens afterwards, but I am content with the ending.½

having just completed Hugh Howey's "Wool" trilogy I thought this would suffer in comparison, but this was not the case. Easy to read, although some plot inconsistencies and predictable ending. I would be more interested in seeing how the people survive on the outside of the "domes", as opposed to how they break free of being inside them (so many of those stories right now)½

There Once Were Stars starts out really strong. Nat has just turned eighteen and is starting her first day of work. Orphaned when her scientist parents were killed in a nuclear accident, she lives with her gentle grandfather and not-so-gentle grandmother. While visiting her forbidden retreat in the forest, she sees two Outsiders beyond the dome walls and witnesses one of them getting caught. Much to her bewilderment, she is assigned to the same science unit her parents were part of in the Axis, the seat of the government. To add to the mix, her lifelong best friend, Jak, makes it clear that he wants to be more than friends, a feeling that Nat doesn't know if she returns. Things become more complicated when the Outsider, Evan, passes her a picture of herself as a young child. From there, Nat is pulled into a web of intrigue, lies, and a chance to continue her mother's mission - to expose the truth about the leaders of the Dome and what they are doing to maintain control over its denizens.

The book stumbles in the same way that the Divergent series does. We hear way too much about our main character's conflicted feelings for two different young men; Jak and Evan. She also vacillates wildly from trusting each one of them to screaming at them and shoving them away. She goes from being selfless to selfish in a blink. While there is a realistic foundation for this in teenage behavior, it becomes very tiresome in this book. I could not understand why either of the men would find her interesting as she is basically a ticking time bomb.

The last quarter of the book is very predictable and I was disappointed with that. Things fell into place far too easily and the ending is too feel-good and isn't realistic. There is a reunion in Nat's family that should have had a much bigger scene and its absence misses a chance to really add depth to both the characters and the story.

Overall, I would say this book is plagued by typical first-time author mistakes. What escapes me is why editors don't fix these things before they are published. I am not familiar with this publishing company, but my guess is that this might be a self-published book. The writer has some chops but she has to push herself if she wants to write original, compelling stories.