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A Glimmer of Hope by Steve McHugh

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Brief synopsis (no spoilers):
Layla Cassidy has a traumatic past, but a fairly simple future. Her father is a psychopath and serial killer in prison, far from her. Her mother died recently, but left her with a substantial inheritance. A shadow organization is interested in making use of her father's skills, and feels the only sure way to reach him is with Layla's help. Layla gets dragged into a world of magic and fantastical creatures. She will have to learn to hold her own.

Category:
YA Fiction

Why I chose this book:
Kindle First

My personal opinion:
Definitely a unique case. For having so much violence, it had surprisingly little language- those usually go together. I don't think there was a single chapter that did not feature fighting, and in most, death was prominent. The story line was interesting enough. The characters were moderately complex. But that brings up another negative- there were a TON of characters, and I lost track of them several times. For the language and general high quality of the writing, I do recommend the book. But if you don't like fighting and death, steer clear!

Warnings
Language: None, really, but I think British readers might find a couple harsh epithets
Violence: Frequent, some pretty graphic
"Adult" situations: None
Death: Frequent, including fairly major characters

Movie rating equivalent:
PG-16, for violence

Protagonist description:
Layla is strong and capable, but feels at a loss in the world of magic

Point of view of story:
Third, focused on Layla

Book length:
Medium-short

Story flow:
Decent

Grammar and spelling issues:
None

Character connection (no spoilers):
None

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