Goji - Welcome to Reality by Sara Beth Cole
Goji is the story of a young woman who has been hiding in fear that she is about to be killed. She encounters two unknown and unusual entities late one night. A slight woman and a large and dark man who is a gargoyle or Goji as his personage is known. They take Calista Barron or “Callie” under their wing to protect her. They help her to identify what and just who she is… She finds out more about herself and her past than she could ever have imagined! She embarks on a training regimen for an event that will challenge her mentally and emotionally. And which will change the supernatural world for the better… if she is successful. If she fails the result could be a disastrous undoing of the whole supernatural world as it is today.
Author Cole has written her second book, the first in a series, and here she sets the tone and a rhythm that will keep you up well past your bedtime. There is action and emotion running throughout that will keep you wanting more, chapter after chapter. She has created a real fan in me with her second book. Most highly recommended ! ( )

After years in hiding, Calista Barron is attacked, but not by thugs sent by her brutal adoptive parents as she first suspects. Callie is rescued by a young clairvoyant named Shyla and a gargoyle, or Goji, who becomes her protector. Callie learns that her birth mother was a Moira, one of the three sisters who rule a supernatural underworld of which humans are unaware. Callie is the only hope for the denizens of the underworld, the Hands of Fate, who live in slavery. She needs to destroy her aunts, not only to save her new friends, but to save herself.

This is a new and interesting take on an urban fantasy. Callie's new world is peopled by some new and different supernatural beings. I appreciated that Callie was being introduced to this new world at the same time as the reader. However, I found the early explanations of this new reality to be a bit rushed and sketchy at times. In fact, I was rather impressed at how quickly Callie seemed to be catching on while I felt I had to scramble to keep up. Once the story got going I enjoyed it very much. The relationship between the Goji, Bale and Callie developed very naturally. All the other characters were interesting and the novel was a fun, quick read. This is the first book in a series, but the novel didn't end in a cliff-hanger and works fine as a stand-alone. There is room, though, to further develop this alternative reality. Recommended for readers of urban fantasy. No content that is inappropriate for young adult readers. ( )