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Book Tours: Starter Day Party for Gifted

June 22, 2015 Leave a Comment

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I’m hosting a starter day party for the book tour for YA dystopian / romance / fantasy “Gifted”. The tour runs from June 22 to July 22. I hope you enjoy the tour!

Tour Schedule

June 22nd: Starter Day Party @ I Heart Reading

June 22nd: Book Excerpt @ Indy Book Fairy

June 24th: Book Excerpt @ Smitha&herStories

June 25th: Character Interview @ The Book Daily

June 28th: Book Excerpt @ Nat’s Book Nook

June 30th: Promo Post @ Books are Forever

July 1st: Book Excerpt @ Bookish Madness

July 3rd: Guest Post @ Editor Charlene’s Blog

July 5th: Book Review, Book Excerpt and Giveaway @ Bedazzled By Books

July 7th: Promo Post @ Cassidy Crimson’s Blog

July 9th: Book Excerpt @ Undercover Book Reviews

July 11th: Book Review @ PRATR

July 13th: Book Excerpt and Giveaway @ Brittney’s Book Nook

July 15th: Author Interview, Guest Post and Giveaway @ Literary Musing

July 17th: Promo Post @ Bookworm for Kids

July 18th: Book Review and Author Interview @ Mommy’s Point of View

July 20th: Book Review @ Books, Books and More Books

July 21st: Book Excerpt @ I’m an Eclectic Reader

July 22nd: Book Review @ All Sorts of Books

About the Book

My e-book coverTitle: Gifted: The Hayven Series

Author: J.A. George

Genre: YA Romance / Fantasy / Dystopian

“Why do birds fly? Why do lions hunt deer? Why does the sun shine and the moon glow? Because it must. I wish I could tell you why, I truly do. It mustn’t be easy, such pressure weighted on such young shoulders, but we do not always choose the lives we must lead.”

Avery Gray had no choice but to be different. She was not born that way; she was chosen.

After having met a special, silver-haired woman, and the handsome and enigmatic Theodore-James Connors, Ava finds herself in Hayven, a city separated from the rest of the world, where only gifters – ordinary people with extra-ordinary gifts – can go. With Theo, his friends, Hayven, her gift, and the ability to ‘travel’ in different colours, Ava must now accept that she can no longer classify herself as normal. As friendships develop, and Theo and Ava become closer than she anticipated, it turns out her new gifted life comes with a catch. With no choice or say on the matter, Ava must save a city she is starting to fall in love with; a city that has almost begun to feel like home.

Author Bio

J.A. George is the author of the four-part series, GIFTED: THE HAYVEN SERIES. Jessica spent years of her life reading book after book before sitting on her bed one morning, opening her laptop and typing Chapter One into her word document. Now, not only does she read book after book, she now writes book after book too. When she’s not writing, she’s trying to break her record of finishing a tub of Oreo ice cream in less than forty-five minutes.
You can contact her at Jess.george@hotmail.co.uk

Links

Amazon: Amazon
Goodreads: Goodreads

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Book Review: Code Human by N.J. Paige

May 21, 2015 1 Comment

CODE COV.40Title: Code Human

Author: N.J. Paige

Genre: YA Science-Fiction

Age Group: Young Adult

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

A few days ago, I was living the life of the privileged elite—now I may not live through the night…

In a dystopian world, far in the future, seventeen-year-old, Fenesia Thornbark, loses her home, her way of life, and most of her friends and family, all at the hands of people she once trusted. With her parents dead, Fenesia is now responsible for her younger sister’s life, as well as that of several other orphaned children they meet along the way, while trying to find the resistance group who is fighting the corrupt government. As she struggles to survive in a hostile environment that is unfamiliar to her, Fenesia is transformed into an unapologetic killer—something she had never imagined possible in her former privileged life.

In Code Human, Fenesia Thornbark is part of the Purestkind, which is strangely reminiscent of the “Ubermensch”. She’s not that happy with her position though, and she hates the way the Underkind (or “Untermensch, if you will) are treated. She’s always been a bit of a rebel, and always more friendly to the Underkind than she should, but so has her family. She questions her society, which makes her an interesting protagonist, and easy to connect with as a reader. An outsider who wants everyone to be treated equally, what’s not to like about that?

But, thanks to a rebellion, more and more Purestkind turn away from this brainwashing method, and even join the Underkind. In that, there’s a really positive message, and it’s good to read that too in dystopian YA, which tends to be more on the gloomy side.

The start is a bit slow, but once Fenesia’s family starts rebelling against the forces that be, the pacing really picks up. An enjoyable book, with likeable characters and an engaging plot.

 

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Book Tours: Guest Post for Nowhere Train

May 14, 2015 Leave a Comment

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I’m hosting a guest post today for the book tour for paranormal / new adult / dystopian “Nowhere Train” by Allie Burke. Enjoy! I’ll leave the word to Allie now.

THE HARDEST PART ABOUT WRITING
BY ALLIE BURKE

I really don’t know why writing is so hard. Writers in all genres talk so much about how much they love being a writer and how they love their childlike imaginations and how being a writer is the best job in the world, yet we find these diagrams that show that writing is thirty percent staring outside of the window, sixty-eight percent not being distracted by the internet, and two percent of the time actually spent writing. This is usually meant to be a joke, but for some, its reality is not that far off.

For me, I think the hardest part is the commitment. Writing a novel is a long process that one must be extremely dedicated to, and of course, another issue that we all have is getting an idea for a book halfway through and it can be very difficult deciding which one to write. Your readers may be awaiting a sequel but there are these other characters from this other new book that won’t shut up. A novel requires the perseverance of a marriage, and giving up is not an option for an author. Just considering the plot and the character development and the world building and what the first sentence will be is daunting, let alone the thought of sticking with it for fifty-thousand words or more. For example, many of us who blog for a living can write a blog no problem, but I’ve been thinking about this novel I’m supposed to be writing for months and haven’t done it yet. Why? It’s a lot of work. We are master procrastinators.

Such is life, though, even with so many things outside of writing, and most of us authors eventually do get it done, and on time no less. It’s a mind game called failure that we love to play chicken with to see who will win and who will die. But what it comes down to is the drive and the goals and the dream to create and if you are a writer, you have that in you.

About the Book

NowhereTrainebookCoverTitle: Nowhere Train

Author: Allie Burke

Genre: New Adult, Paranormal Romance, Dystopian

Two-years post end-of-the-world, all Jetilyn Fournier wants to do is learn to navigate a world that is no longer her own. Surviving zombies feels easy, though, compared to dealing with her rocky relationship with her best friend, the death of her mother, her sister’s faux happiness, and her father’s sudden desire to speak, after decades of silence. Saving herself is not even something she can fit in at the moment. Enter Devlin Shea: for all intents and purposes, a mortal enemy. Though she should hate him instantly upon contact, she doesn’t, and before she knows it, Jett has another life to save. Told in the surreal prose that Allie Burke has come to be known for, Nowhere Train is the first zombie novel of its kind. At two parts hippie and one part magic, it is as deadly as it is beautiful; as dark as it is hopeful, baring the question in mind: who–and what–are Jett and her family really fighting for?

Author Bio

A Bestselling Author, publishing imprint Manager, and Psychology Today Blogger from Burbank, California, Allie Burke writes books she can’t find in the bookstore. Having been recognized as writing a “kickass book that defies the genre it’s in”, Allie writes with a prose that has been labeled poetic and ethereal.

Her life is a beautiful disaster, flowered with the harrowing existence of inherited eccentricity, a murderous family history, a faithful literature addiction, and the intricate darkness of true love. These are the enchanting experiences that inspire Allie’s fairytales.

From some coffee shop in Los Angeles, she is working on her next novel.

Visit Allie at http://wordsbyallieburke.com

Links

Buy on Amazon

Buy on B&N

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Book Tours: Starter Day Party for Nowhere Train

April 23, 2015 Leave a Comment

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I’m hosting the starter day party for the book tour for new adult paranormal romance / dystopian “Nowhere Train”. The tour runs from April 23 to May 23.

Tour Schedule

April 23rd: Starter Day Party @ I Heart Reading

April 26th: Book Excerpt and Character Interview @ Dormaine G’s Blog

April 27th: Promo Post @ Tea Talks

April 29th: Guest Post @ Mythical Books

April 30th: Book Excerpt @ Indy Book Fairy

May 2nd: Promo Post @ It’s a Reading Thing

May 4th: Author Interview @ You Interviewed

May 6th: Book Excerpt @ I’m an Eclectic Reader

May 7th: Book Review @ Bedazzled Reading

May 8th: Promo Post @ Undercover Book Reviews

May 10th: Book Review @ Books are Forever

May 12th: Author Interview @ Karen Writes Stuff

May 13th: Promo Post @ Bookish Madness

May 14th: Guest Post @ I Heart Reading

May 15th: Book Excerpt @ Literary Musing

May 16th: Book Excerpt @ Sunshine Book Promotions

May 18th: Author Interview @ Majanka’s Blog

May 19th: Book Excerpt @ Cassidy Crimson’s Blog

May 20th: Guest Post @ Illusions of Intimacy

May 21st: Book Review @ PRATR

May 22nd: Promo Post @ The Book Daily

May 23rd: Book Excerpt and Guest Post @ Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

About the Book

NowhereTrainebookCoverTitle: Nowhere Train

Author: Allie Burke

Genre: New Adult, Paranormal Romance, Dystopian

Two-years post end-of-the-world, all Jetilyn Fournier wants to do is learn to navigate a world that is no longer her own. Surviving zombies feels easy, though, compared to dealing with her rocky relationship with her best friend, the death of her mother, her sister’s faux happiness, and her father’s sudden desire to speak, after decades of silence. Saving herself is not even something she can fit in at the moment. Enter Devlin Shea: for all intents and purposes, a mortal enemy. Though she should hate him instantly upon contact, she doesn’t, and before she knows it, Jett has another life to save. Told in the surreal prose that Allie Burke has come to be known for, Nowhere Train is the first zombie novel of its kind. At two parts hippie and one part magic, it is as deadly as it is beautiful; as dark as it is hopeful, baring the question in mind: who–and what–are Jett and her family really fighting for?

Author Bio

A Bestselling Author, publishing imprint Manager, and Psychology Today Blogger from Burbank, California, Allie Burke writes books she can’t find in the bookstore. Having been recognized as writing a “kickass book that defies the genre it’s in”, Allie writes with a prose that has been labeled poetic and ethereal.

Her life is a beautiful disaster, flowered with the harrowing existence of inherited eccentricity, a murderous family history, a faithful literature addiction, and the intricate darkness of true love. These are the enchanting experiences that inspire Allie’s fairytales.

From some coffee shop in Los Angeles, she is working on her next novel.

Visit Allie at http://wordsbyallieburke.com

Links

Buy on Amazon

Buy on B&N

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Book Tours: Starter Day Party for Rendered

March 30, 2015 1 Comment

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I’m hosting a starter day party today for the book tour for dystopian romance “Rendered”. The tour runs from March 30 to April 13.

Tour Schedule

March 30th: Starter Day Party @ I Heart Reading

April 1st: Author Interview @ The Single Librarian

April 2nd: Book Excerpt @ Literary Musing

April 4th: Book Excerpt @ Nat’s Book Nook

April 6th: Author Interview @ Karen Writes Stuff

April 8th: Book Excerpt @ Undercover Book Reviews

April 9th: Book Review @ Tome Tender

April 10th: Book Excerpt @ Sunshine Book Promotions

April 12th: Book Review @ PRATR

April 13th: Book Excerpt and Author Interview @ Indy Book Fairy

About the Book

rendered-web-copyTitle: Rendered

Author: Amy Boyles

Genre: Dystopian Romance

Ten years ago, Drian Becker underwent the Rendering, a humiliating body exam imposed upon the masses by her father, a commander in the Patriot Army. Being a high ranking official’s daughter, Drian thought she was safe from the practice—not so. Her father’s betrayal left her emotionally scarred and dishonored.

It’s now 2098. Drian hasn’t thought about the Rendering since she became leader of a rebel faction—mostly because she’s an expert at hiding her feelings behind a thick outer wall of badass attitude.

All that changes when Colvin Hinton walks into her camp. With his easy swagger and even easier demeanor, Colvin makes being a rebel look good enough to taste. But when Drian finds herself tangled in his charms she lets down her guard, giving an old enemy the chance to take her out once and for all.

If loving a man is this dangerous, would Drian have been better off remaining in the clutches of her father and living with the scars of being RENDERED?

Author Bio

Amy bio picAfter living in Chicago, Louisville and New York, Amy finally settled in North Alabama with her husband. Along with writing, she has a passion for cooking ridiculously fattening food and complaining about weight gain. She loves to connect with readers.

Connect with Amy Online:

Website: http://amyboylesauthor.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/amyboylesauthor

Facebook: http://facebook.com/amyboylesauthor

Email: amyboylesauthor@gmail.com

Sign up here for my newsletter to know about upcoming releases and to win free stuff!

Links

RENDERED – A Dark Revolution Novella – Book 2 – can be purchased here. Here’s the actual link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UB8I4UE

UNLIKELY REBEL – A Dark Revolution Novella – Book 1 – can be purchased here.

Here’s the actual link: http://www.amazon.com/Mistaken-Identities-Highlander-Remembering-Unlikely-ebook/dp/B00SUDGSPU

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Mini-Review: Townhouse, Curse of Malenfer Manor, Plague

December 21, 2014 1 Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Townhouse

Title: Townhouse

Author: Brian Rowe

Genre: Horror

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Twenty-four-year-old Sara Crimson isn’t happy that she’s moving into a shady apartment complex with a man she barely knows. But after discovering she’s pregnant with her first child, she decides to try to make a relationship work with the baby daddy Max, an up-and-coming talent agent, who proposes marriage and asks her to move in with him. An aspiring novelist, Sara at first is elated with the additional free time she has to focus on her writing. But as the days turn to weeks, she starts to suspect that something peculiar is happening in the Executive Townhouses of North Hollywood, California. People start disappearing, strange noises echo down the corridor, and an old, creepy tenant finds his entertainment value in staring at her from afar. But what Sara doesn’t know is that the hidden horrors that lie inside the apartment complex are far worse than anything her overactive imagination could have ever conceived…

Review: Townhouse is definitely not afraid to throw in some gore while writing this horror novel. Sara Crimson, our protagonist, is struggling with moving, and with her new relationship and being pregnant – the confusion feels realistic, as does the struggle. The book is creepy, and has plenty of suspense. Recommended to fans of horror who don’t mind some gore.

The Curse of Malenfer Manor

Title: The Curse of Malenfer Manor

Author: Ian McChesney

Genre: Paranormal, Mystery, Fantasy

Rating: 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Those in line to the Malenfer estate are succumbing to terrible ends – but is it a supernatural legacy at work, or something entirely more human and evil?

Young Irish mercenary Dermot Ward headed to Paris at the close of World War I, where he drinks to forget his experiences, especially the death of his comrade, Arthur Malenfer. But Arthur has not forgotten Dermot. Dead but not departed, Arthur has unfinished business and needs the help of the living.

Upon his arrival at Malenfer Manor, Dermot finds himself embroiled in a mystery of murder, succession, and ambition. Dermot falls in love with the youngest Malenfer, the beautiful fey Simonne, but in his way are Simonne’s mismatched fiancé, her own connections to the spirit world, Dermot’s overwhelming guilt over the circumstances of Arthur’s death… and the curse.

Review: A rich, detailed account about the Malenfer estate, reminiscent of “The Witching Hour” by Anne Rice. The book is complex, the world-building is great, and the characters sparkle on the pages. It’s an amazing gothic mystery, recommended by all fans of the genre.

Plague

Title: Plague

Author: Lisa C. Hinsley

Genre: Horror, Dystopian, Apocalyptic, Science Fiction

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

A new strain of bubonic plague is diagnosed in London. Before it can be contained it spreads through the population, faster and more deadly than anyone could have imagined. Three weeks is all it takes to decimate the country.

Johnny tells Liz not to phone the NHS when their young son starts to show symptoms. But she ignores him and a few hours later the army arrives and boards them into their house.

Now Nathan is dying and there is nothing they can do to help him. Hours pass like weeks as their little boy grows weaker and weaker. All Liz wants is that they die with some dignity but the authorities refuse to help. Then the broadband dies and the phones stop working. Cut off from the world and boarded into their house, the family try their best to cope. But there is nothing they can do to stop the plague.

UK Vine Voice and Top 50 Reviewer Shaun Horrigan said: Plague is one of, if not the best story I have read so far this year.

Review: An intriguing horror novel about society crumbling, about humanity on the verge of despair, and about how far people are willing to go to protect their loved ones. It was an interesting book, at times a little gory though, and the dialogue is clumsy at best. The ending is a tad too abrupt.

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Mini-Review: Above World, Allegiance, Halflings

November 28, 2014 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Above World

Title: Above World

Author: Jenn Reese

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Dystopian

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony’s survival is in doubt. The Kampii’s breathing necklaces are failing, but the elders are unwilling to venture above water to seek answers. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people.

But can Aluna’s warrior spirit and Hoku’s tech-savvy keep them safe? Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt—growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains—here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true.

Review: I saw this advertized as young adult, but it’s more a middle grade read. The plot is intriguing. Aluna is a lovely character – strong, independent, clever. The pacing never stops – Aluna and her best friend Hoku tumble from one fight, kidnapping, and mystery into another. The book is highly creative, and the writing is great.

Allegiance

Title: Allegiance (Legacy #0)

Author: Cayla Kluver

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Only I saw Narian for who he truly was: a young man with courage and an independent mind, and made to pay for what was outside his control. He couldn’t help his past any more than he could help the way those intense, deep-blue eyes pierced me and held me captive.

An eighteen-year-old queen in love with the enemy as their countries pass the point of no return…

Bound to a man she cannot love, Queen Alera of Hytanica must forget Narian, the young man who holds her heart. For Narian is destined to conquer Hytanica at the behest of his master, the powerful magic-user known as the Overlord. Alera doesn’t truly believe Narian will fight against Hytanica-until Cokyrian troops attack with Narian commanding the charge.

Faced with the greatest betrayal a heart can know, Alera must set aside personal feelings and lead her kingdom through its darkest time. And when all hope, will and courage seem lost, she must find strength and remember that even the blackest night must have a dawn….

Review: Sometimes sequels suffer from second book syndrom, but that wasn’t the case at all in this novel. Allegiance is an interesting story about an eighteen-year-old queen, Alera, who is in love with Narian. He’s the enemy of her kingdom, but the true captor of her heart. The writing is rich and absorbing, the characters are intriguing, and the world building is complex. Alera was a fantastic character, and Narian was one of the most intriguing love interests I’ve read about. A fantastic book.

Halflings

Title: Halflings

Author: Heather Burch

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with. A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys powers, as well as her role in their earthly mission, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.

Review: The writing is rich and creative, but the story itself was rather predictable. Nikki wasn’t as interesting as I hoped she’d be. We’re left in the dark about why Nikki needs all this special protection for quite a while, and while the pacing of the story is generally fast, the mystery part was too slow. The love triangle wasn’t convincing at all, and I was left with mixed feelings about this book.

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Mini-Review: Revealing Eden, Dark Kiss and Heart of Perdition

November 23, 2014 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Revealing Eden

Title: Revealing Eden

Author: Victoria Foyt

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Fantasy

Rating: 1 star

Purchase: Amazon

Eden Newman must mate before her 18th birthday in six months or she’ll be left outside to die in a burning world. But who will pick up her mate-option when she’s cursed with white skin and a tragically low mate-rate of 15%? In a post-apocalyptic, totalitarian, underground world where class and beauty are defined by resistance to an overheated environment, Eden’s coloring brands her as a member of the lowest class, a weak and ugly Pearl. If only she can mate with a dark-skinned Coal from the ruling class, she’ll be safe. Just maybe one Coal sees the Real Eden and will be her salvation her co-worker Jamal has begun secretly dating her. But when Eden unwittingly compromises her father’s secret biological experiment, she finds herself in the eye of a storm and thrown into the last area of rainforest, a strange and dangerous land. Eden must fight to save her father, who may be humanity’s last hope, while standing up to a powerful beast-man she believes is her enemy, despite her overwhelming attraction. Eden must change to survive but only if she can redefine her ideas of beauty and of love, along with a little help from her “adopted aunt” Emily Dickinson.

Review: This book was one dissapointment on top of the other. It’s filled with badly-masked racism. White people are discriminated against in this post-apocalyptic world, and overruled by black people, named the Coals. So the ruling class calls themselves Coals while the enslaved class are called Pearls. Right. The reverse discrimation is offensive. The writing isn’t good either, the characters are one-dimensional and boring. This is easily the most racistic book I’ve ever read.

Dark Kiss

Title: Dark Kiss

Author: Michelle Rowen

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

I don’t do dangerous.

Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that’s me. But I just couldn’t pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me…something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It’s like part of me is missing-and I don’t know if I can get it back.

Then there’s Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he’s keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he’s what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me….

NIGHTWATCHERS

When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising…

Review: Mixed feelings about this one. Samantha (Sam) was no intriguing protagonist at all. I didn’t like her very much, and she was pretty boring. I did like Bishop though, and I absolutely loved Kraven, although I’m not sure why. He has this great attitude, and he was mysterious. The plot was all right, but I expected more form the set up of angels and demons working together. The premise was great, but ultimately the book fell a little short.

Heart of Perdition

 Title: Heart of Perdition

Author: Selah March

Genre: Steampunk, Paranormal Romance, Historical Fiction

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

As the nineteenth century draws to a close, James Weston, Earl of Falmouth, is dying along with it. Despite living in an age of airships and automatons, even London’s finest physicians cannot cure the young man’s ailing heart. His last hope lies in retrieving a powerful artifact from the remote island home of an eccentric scientist’s daughter.

Elspeth Shaw prefers her solitary life to the tragic results that come from mixing in society. Elspeth is cursed: every mortal being who forms an attachment to her dies a horrible death. Yet when the doomed Lord Falmouth arrives in search of the very artifact that blights her, she hasn’t the will to refuse. But the price for cheating death may be more than any human can pay…

Review: Heart of Perdition does a good job portraying the era it’s situated in. It’s a gothic novel with steampunk elements and a paranormal mystery. However, the ideas don’t mix and match. The premise is great, but none of the ideas are executed the way they should, and none of it ties together at the ending. So while the idea was great, and this book had potential, it failed to deliver.

 

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Mini-Review: Angel Burn, Shadows on the Moon, Cinder

November 21, 2014 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Angel Burn

Title: Angel Burn

Author: L.A. Weatherly

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance

Rating: 3,5 stars

Purchase: Amazon

They’re out for your soul.
And they don’t have heaven in mind…

Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from.
But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself does. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces and that he’s one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems; least of all good and evil.

Review: L.A. Weatherly gives a nice twist to the world of angels in this novel, and main character Willow definitely has a spark and attitude. However, the writing itself was mixed at best. At times, I wanted to quit writing, other times I was completely engrossed in the story. The pacing isn’t consistent – it picks up, slows down, picks up, slows down. The angel world and lore here intrigued me though, so I may have to pick up the sequel.

Shadows on the Moon

Title: Shadows on the Moon

Author: Zoe Marriott

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

A powerful tale of magic, love and revenge with a strong female lead set in fairy-tale Japan; this is “Cinderella” meets “Memoirs of a Geisha”. Trained in the magical art of shadow-weaving, sixteen-year-old Suzume is able to recreate herself in any form – a fabulous gift for a girl desperate to escape her past. But who is she really? Is she a girl of noble birth living under the tyranny of her mother’s new husband, Lord Terayama, or a lowly drudge scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama’s kitchens, or Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands? Whatever her true identity, Suzume is destined to capture the heart of a prince – and determined to use his power to destroy Terayama. And nothing will stop her, not even love.

Review: What a divers, creative book. Shadows on the Moon is heavily focused on a fairytale set in a fantasy version of Japan, and the setting is unique and enthralling. Suzume is an enticing main character. She’s supposed to be this Cinderall kind of girl, but she’s anything but. She’s flawed but strong, and has severe anger issues, and struggles with her mother’s cold attitude toward her. This book is definitely more intriguing than the regular Cinderella story.

Cinder

Title: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Steampunk

Rating: 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Review: What an amazing read! Cinder is a cyborg in New Beijing, a dystopian world overrun by steampunk creatures. Fairytale meets science-fiction, and it’s amazing. The writing is great, Cinder is a wonderful heroine, the book has elements of Sailor Moon (only one of my favorite animes ever) and elements of Cinderella (only one of my favorite fairytales). An excellent read, recommended to anyone who likes young adult.

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Book Review: Journal of a South African Zombie Apocalypse

November 13, 2014 Leave a Comment

Book CoverTitle: Journal of a South African Zombie Apocalypse
Author: Lee Herrmann
Genre: YA Horror / Dystopian
Pages: 180 pages
Publication Date: August 2014
ISBN Number: 978-0-620615-92-1

South Africa has been infected. The army and police failed. Government fell. And now the dead roam the streets.

Journal of a South African Zombie Apocalypse is a post-apocalyptic story set in South Africa, 2 years after a mysterious outbreak has ravaged the country. No one seems to know how it started, but the reality is that most of the rainbow nation is mindless, walking zombies and it’s survive or be eaten.

After their supplies run out, 16 year old Kon, his brother and father leave their Pretoria home and embark on a journey for a new home. They Come across Kat and Dirk, two fellow survivors on a mission to reach Robben Island, a reputed safe haven. Together they embark on an epic journey across the country. Along the way they befriend other survivors, and face an unrecognizable new world filled with new, unpredictable dangers.

Oh, and there’s lots and lots of zombies.

Journal of a South African Zombie Apocalypse is a coming of age story in a very different South Africa, and chronicles one family’s fight for survival against the walking dead.

Journal of a South African Zombie Apocalypse tells the story of one family who tries to survive in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. It’s set in South Africa – I’ve never been there, so I enjoyed the setting, background, and the stories about the countries’ history. The main character is sixteen-year-old Kon, who lives with his brother and father. They leave their Pretoria home to travel to a new home, to safety, away from the zombies. They meet several other travellers along the way, among them Kat and Dirk, two fellow survivors also trying to reach Robben Island, a reputed safe haven.

Instead of going totally over the top with gore and blood, the book focuses on a handful of characters, on their emotions, their development, how they chance throughout the book, and grow. It focuses on the human side of the zombie apocalypse instead of trying to be spectacular.

That’s not to stay it’s not quite spectacular in its own right. The book is quite amazing, a solid mix of character development and plot. The writing is solid too, and overall, a very enjoyable experience, recommended to fans of The Walking Dead and other zombie series.

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