L.A. JonesCritiques

I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I was really little, say about 4 or 5 years old, I learned about the Sun and how important it is for our planet's existence. And I remember someone telling me that one day the Sun would die out and we would probably, too. To my little brain, I thought it meant that it was going to happen right away. So I began to panic and cry and worry about my parents dying. While my parents eventually assured me that this would occur way in the distant future, they did impress upon me how vulnerable our planet and the environment is to human events. They told me that it is part of my duties as a human being to try to put minimal stress on the environment and do my part to conserve. I've been doing just that. But with growing reports on global warming and pollution, I always wonder how much longer the Earth will sustain us. This concern has been voiced in many books, and it is one of the reasons I read dystopian novels set in the distant future. It's the reason that this book appealed to me in the first place.

In the year 2130, human civilization has come a long way in terms of technological advancement. However, there is still concern over space and waste disposal. And thus, the NEAR was created; it is a landfill that can be mined for its reusable contents. It may be stinky but it definitely is more efficient and beneficial. That is until workers discover a woman's body deep in it. Detective Kirt Edo is called to the scene, and is both saddened by this unfortunate death and puzzled by the way in which the body was preserved. It becomes pretty obvious that this is murder, but what he didn't expect was the hush-up that ensued. As he begins to do his own secret investigation, he makes a terrifying link between the dead woman and his own family. As he hunts for more answers, only one thing remains sure: more will die. What Edo does next will either save everyone he loves, or lead to the death of countless people.

This story has great bones and a very intriguing plot. I only wish it had been executed better. While the author did a great job describing technical details, the filler material that usually allows for smooth transitions from one event to another was lacking throughout the story, making it feel very choppy. It's great to have a fast pace and be action-packed but there needs to be good transitioning for the story to work. Detective Edo is a really great character and I wish there had been more development in that area, especially in terms of the way he communicates and interacts with other characters. In fact, all of the dialogue in the novel was very weird and unrealistic, so it took away from the story. Overall, the story has great potential but the writing requires polishing, and there needs to be better transitions.

This young adult novel is about your average high school student who really isn't so average.

Aradia is the "new kid" at Salem (Massachusetts) High School. She can't help but notice that a larger-than-normal portion of the students are either incredibly handsome or incredibly beautiful. Those same people are openly staring at Aradia, and not just because of her flaming red hair.

As time goes on, Aradia learns that the school is home to a large number of beings that go under the general name of "hidden." They include werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, faeries, etc.; the hidden part comes from their greatest law, which is to never, ever reveal anything of their existence to humans. The interest in Aradia is because she has "abilities" of her own. The non-humans at school have never seen, or smelled, anyone like her. Aradia doesn't know what she is, only that she was found in a cave, as a newborn, and officially adopted by Ross and Liza Preston.

The town of Salem is being menaced by the Vampire Murderer. A pair of bodies are found, with puncture marks on their necks, and totally drained of blood. Aradia is assured that the chances of a vampire being the culprit are tiny; someone is trying very hard to frame them. Aradia takes matters into her own hands, and attracts the attention of the real culprit. Does Aradia help bring the murderer to justice?

This one is surprisingly good. The plot may be a little average, but the author does a fine job with it. Teens will enjoy this book; adults will also enjoy it.

It is very clear that the TWILIGHT series influenced the author when she wrote this story. However, there are some important differences. One of the main differences is the character, Aradia, who I felt was much stronger than Twilight's main character, Bella. Aradia fights off werewolves, helps solve mysteries, and creates homeopathic cures for friends and strangers, even those who are mean to her. The result of Aradia's strong and loving personality is that she earns herself a group of friends who would be willing to die for her. I love this character, and I am looking forward to reading more about her!

Aradia is a witch but she does not know this, she was adopted by Ross and Liza when she was six months old. Aradia has special powers but she doesn't have a clue of what she is or where she came. Aradia and her parents have moved several times during the time that she has been with her adopted parents because of her powers. Her parents has always warned her not to tell anybody about her powers.

So when they move to Salem and she meets two guys, Roy and Dax in her class that she is attracted too she finds out about the hidden race which are werewolves, vampires, faes and shapeshifters. She learns that Roy is a werewolf and Dax is a vampire. She has no problem with knowing this knowledge of the hidden race because of her powers.

Aradia uses plants to make healing creams. She likes to go out in the woods around midnight to find the plants she needs. While out on one of these expedition she notices that she is being followed. She decides to face who ever it is following her and turns around and low and behold what does she see a wolf, no wait wait not a wolf but a werewolf. The werewolf attacks her and bites her on the arm. As the werewolf is biting her she looks into his eyes and realizes that the werewolf is her friend Roy. She knocks him out and takes him to the police station with the help of an officer to lock him in a cell until he changes back. That is how she finds out about the hidden is from Roy when he wakes up.

Aradia is one tough chick she fights her own battles and those of her boyfriends. On more than one occasion she laid some good old fashion whoop ass on some bad ass dudes and won. Aradia could take on more than one person at a time and still come out on top. She is not some whiny ass girl who never stands up for herself and lets her boyfriends do her fighting for her. That is one of the reasons that I liked Tales of Aradia the Last Witch so well is because the heroin of the story can kick ass. If you like a good story with a strong female lead then you should definitely read Tales of Aradia the Last Witch.

From

Can I just say that it's a good thing I'm not responsible for labeling books. What is this? Lots of things, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal Mystery, and a little humor thrown into the mix.

Aradia has a wicked, off-beat sense of humor. In the book, she would occasionally deliver a zinger and everyone around her would just stand there. More than once she had to explain the joke, and more than once the joke fell flat. It was great! :)

The werewolves are strong and responsible. The vampires are an old and patient people. Lots of the Hidden race in the high-school. I don't get the vampires going to school. Seriously? Why not just say you are homeschooling? Of course the vampires are all beautiful people, and high school is far easier if you are a pretty person. God someone needs to write a book about a dorky, vampire reject. lol

Fast paced story, and is so well written that there are few who will be disappointed. Ok, you want to know how good this book was? My husband got home after being gone and I was disappointed he showed up because I was so close to being finished. lol

It's also very affordable, only 99¢ for the Kindle. Give it to your teen, read it for yourself.

Originally posted at http://www.mycutebookshelf.com/2011/08/review-tales-of-aradia-last-witch.htmlAra... is not your typical teenager. She has magical powers, great strength and psychic abilities. She and her family move to Salem in her freshman year of high school. There she stumbles upon an unsolved murder. The obvious conclusion to it is that a vampire was the killer, but Aradia knows there’s more to it. At her new school, she meets Roy & Beau—two very different guys. They both are a part of the hidden race—which Aradia is a part of; she just doesn’t know it yet. Along the way, Aradia discovers the truth behind her abilities.This book was very interesting in that it had a unique spin in paranormal young adult romance. Aradia is the last of her kind—a witch. What I thought was unique was that the Salem Witch Trials played a part of the story, but the killings were not done by humans. Aradia appears in modern day and is adopted by a nice family. She’s lived a normal life, well, as normal as she could with her powers. She’s had a tough time, but she’s finally ready to move on from her past. I really enjoyed Aradia’s toughness. She didn’t let herself be controlled, and she kicked ass even more than the guys. What I didn’t like was that she could be harsh at times. I enjoy reading about kick-ass girls, but I don’t like it when they’re too rude to people who are trying to help them. This is not the first book where that’s happened. Anyway, I did like her attitude at other times. She left a pretty huge impression on me. I just wish she wasn’t so mean to Roy. He was a great and likeable character who cared about her. Starting with him, I liked the guys in the story. They were both very interesting. Roy was the nice one, always trying everything to help Aradia. His feelings for her are pretty obvious since the beginning. Then there’s Beau. He’s the “bad” one. At first, he tries to get close to Aradia for his own gain, but he grows closer to her for real. I enjoyed this character immensely. I just love seeing characters like him, who evolve throughout a book.Tales of Aradia: The Last Witch was an extremely fast-paced book. I honestly enjoyed reading it because it was a read I breezed through. I just would have liked a main character that I could connect with, and I felt that Aradia wasn’t it. Also, the story could have been better in some aspects. I would have liked to have known about two particular characters that were left in the dark from the beginning (they were working for the “master”). This bothered me throughout the story because they basically disappeared. Also, some things in the story were a bit too clichéd for my liking. I think the clique-ish feeling the school had at the beginning was very clichéd. Plus, some of Aradia’s thoughts were clichéd as well (the whole party thing). These are the things that bothered me a bit.Overall, Tales of Aradia was an enjoyable read. I enjoyed reading it, but I would have liked to have felt a better connection to Aradia. I think the series has a lot of potential. If you like a story centered on the romance, you might enjoy this one. A particular kissing scene was very shocking, in my opinion (and I enjoyed that immensely). Also, I have no idea who she’s going to end up with, which almost never happens with these types of stories. I have different, yet good feelings for both Roy & Beau. They’re definitely characters I loved to read about. If you like fast paced romantic stories, I suggest you check this one out.

TALES OF ARADIA: THE LAST WITCH by L.A. Jones is an interesting YA fantasy set in Salem,MA in present day. This is the story of Aradia,the last witch.This story is fast paced. It has vampires,werewolves,witchs,and other other world beings,and magic.While the "Master" of the vampires has all the witchs killed for so called treason,one survives,
Aradia.Her mother hides her for decades until a couple finds her and adapts her. Aradia,learns as she is growing up that she is "special",but when she enters Salem High School,she will learn how special she really is. She learns her abilities,finds out who she is,what she is and who is trying to eliminate her. It has intrigue,some humor,fantasy, witchs,vampires,werewolves,survivial,and of course some action as Aradia tries to stay alive.This is a great YA book on fantasy written on YA level with high school age characters and of course a few "older" generation.This book was received for the purpose from the author and details can be found at Creatspace and My Book Addiction and More.