Saturday, January 17, 2015

Son of War, Daughter of Chaos: A Review

Goodreads (description):

Aislynn is accustomed to watching for the enemy. Her parents instructed her from the time she was young to look for the signs: people with greater than normal strength, eyes that can glow green, and have the ability to jump long distances. Over the years, Aislynn has come to view her parents’ fears as quirks—things that get in the way of having a normal high school life.

When Aislynn’s mother dies under suspicious conditions, her father doubles his restrictions. But all his precautions can’t stop the boy with glowing green eyes from finding Aislynn. She realizes too late she’s been drafted into an ancient Egyptian war, whether she’s prepared or not.


My Review:

Janette Rallison is one of my favorite authors, and she did not fail me with this book! Also, this review will contain some spoilers.

Son of War, Daughter of Chaos is a novel filled with mystery and adventure as Aislynn tries to discover who she really is.

Aislynn has had a crush on her brother's friend, Dane. He is an observant, athletic, and intelligent young man. He is also cunning, stunningly attractive (in my head at least), and loyal. It's not long until Aislynn finds herself in his arms, drowned in his kisses and his awesome sweetness... Until he drugs her and raids her house.

Everything Aislynn has ever known is being to fall apart at the edges. She once thought her father was crazy for hiding from some unknown enemy, but now the enemy was there, attacking her house.

Aislynn finds herself whisked out of Arizona in mere hours, with her father and brother at her side, holding back many secrets. The most that she really gets out of them is that she is the daughter of both a Setite and a Horusian.

The minute Aislynn realizes that her father and brother are keeping secrets from her, it only gets worse. She is still loyal to her family, even when she learns what Setites do behind the scenes. Even when she discovers that she may have been set up for an arranged marriage.

So much happens to Aislynn that she is left confused, trying to decide who she is. The Setites and Horusians are at a constant war--trying to kill each other. Both sides want her, and though Dane is a Horusian and her family are Setities, she doesn't want to hurt either side.

I felt for Aislynn as she struggled to find out which side she belonged to, things were confusing, and both sides were neither good nor bad. If anything, both sides were leaning more toward the bad. She wanted so desperately to be with her family, but when the secrets of what her father and brother do came out, she found it hard to be around them. She still loved them though.

It's what I liked most about Aislynn. She does her best to fight for what's right, wanting everyone to come out alive and safe. Through much sacrifice, she does all she can to make that happen. And though it's a huge risk, where she could lose her life, she goes along with it, in order to try and save both sides from killing each other.

I have to say, what Aislynn ended up doing was absolutely fantastic. It sealed the deal that she is one of the stronger female leads I've read about. What she ended up doing was quite epic.

At least, I hope she succeed... There may or may not be a second book to this one, and I sincerely hope there is, so I can figure out what happens! The book wasn't really left on a cliff hanger, it could end, but I would be sad if it didn't go on. There is so much left that could potentially happen.

I give this a 4.5 out of 5!

Friday, January 16, 2015

Born at Midnight: A Review

Goodreads (description):

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

My Review:

So this is a series that was highly recommended to me by some of my trusted reading friends. I've been excited to read it for while and well...

I was seriously disappointed.

First of all, I didn't like the main character, Kylie, at all. The good aspects about her was that she was a loyal friend... and I can't think of anything else...

The only thing that made me feel for Kylie was the divorce going on between her parents. That's it.

What I didn't like about her was her indecisiveness and how whiny she was. Frankly, I found her annoying.

The huge reason for my dislike of Kylie and the book was that I was expecting this book to have far more action scenes then it did, and pretty much only focused on Kylie's messed up relationships. Most books have love triangles these days, and I have a love/hate relationship with those and I do love romance in books, but no, Kylie had a love square. She liked three boys, and just could not decide who she liked most. At least toward the end she sort of got rid of one of the guys, and the other disappeared, so she was FORCED into a decision. Gag. I could not have cared less about her relationship with any of these guys. None of them felt genuine, and with two of the boys she met at Shadow Falls, the relationships went too fast and didn't have any... ground? Any... anything, really. Or at least that's what I thought.

That's probably why I disliked this book so much, because the whole time she is juggling three boys and practically nothing else happens. Not to mention the fact that she kept getting all been-out-of-shape about being a supernatural, when clearly she was one, and needed to stop blaming the other campers for being what they were. I'm sure it was a shock, but I didn't like the way she handled it. Sure, if I had been in her situation, I would have freaked out too, but she got so whiny. Not to mention that she kept pissing her roommates off for her lack of tack and rudeness about being who they were.

And then there's the lack of action. Only one significant thing happened right at the end, and that was probably my favorite part, because Kylie finally did something instead of sitting around whining, and trying to juggle her boy problems.

I read till about 37% in the second book, Awake at Dawn, to see if it would get any better. It didn't, it got worse, and I decided I couldn't handle this series anymore. I still have this ringing irritation in my head about something Kylie said to her friend who was having trouble between two guys. Kylie told her that she needed to make a decision who she liked. I mentally face-palmed when I read that. Kylie, who can't decide between THREE boys, was preaching to her friend to make a decision between two. Ugh, it annoyed me so much, and then it just went downhill from there. I just didn't care anymore.

I'm really sad that this series didn't turn out for me. My friends have been talking about it forever, but oh, well. Everyone likes their different styles of writing and books, this one obviously wasn't for me.

As for the content, these books also contain a lot of language. And there's a whole lot of talk about sex, and intimate scenes. The characters don't actually have sex, but they get close to it.

I give this a 2.5 out of 5.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Heir of Fire: A Review

Goodreads (description):

Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy.

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?
My Review:

Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy mother of pearl, I need the next book to come out NOW!!!!

I know this is the third book in the series, but I think it is my favorite. This concept is weird for me, because usually the first book always is my favorite.

But man, this book far surpassed the first two.

Heir of Fire was literally explosive. I could not put it down!

I will not spoil anything, but ah! The truth is out. A truth I SO called, but was excited to learn about anyways. Now that Celaena's biggest secret is out, the whole world is going to burn.

I can't even put into words how awesome I thought this book was.

Rowan became my favorite character in this novel. Yes, in the beginning he is a jerk, but I knew he had a heart. He was a fierce warrior, ready to stand up for what was right despite of his blood oath. He did everything that was in his power to help the demi-fey around him, along with Celaena.

And gosh, seeing how broken Celaena was in this one was kind of heart breaking. And yet, this novel is where I felt Celaena has grown the most. Here is where she finally begins to accept a part of herself that she has buried so deep down inside her that it's painful for her to retrieve. Yes, she has done bad things, killed a lot of people and some of them innocent. And yet, she has a heart. She wants to the right thing. As she deals with a lot of her past in this one, she FINALLY stops running from it.

It was when she finally accepted what she had to do that I felt Celaena had truly grown-up. She's nineteen in this one, and has seen and done more than many of us ever will or had done by that age, but she was still a lonely, broken, orphaned child. Until now. Now she is the power that will save lives and rebuild kingdoms. Now, I believe that she truly can stand up against the King of Adarlan.

There are several other characters introduced in this book, and can I just say that the witches are creepy. Really... just scary individuals. Although, I believe that Manon might actually have a heart, despite her upbringing. I don't like her, but I'm beginning to think that she may turn the tide in the battle that is to come.

I also was really surprised about Dorian's new love interest. I didn't see that coming. Maybe because I really liked the idea of him and Celaena together, but once Rowan entered the picture, my mind began to change. Anyway, I was happy that he found someone else.... I won't say more on the subject.

As for Chaol. I didn't really know what to think of him in this one. He seemed so... depressed. And I can understand why. His life pretty much sucks. What I still love about him though, is his loyalty. He remained strong and finally began doing the right thing. I hope that he survives in the next books. He dang sure better. I still like him, which means he's not allowed to die.

This book had a lot more language in it than the first two. Other than that, there wasn't anything else I considered unclean. If you don't like violence, these may not be the books for you. The descriptions can get graphic. I didn't mind them, but there's a warning.

I give this a 4.5 out of 5!

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

The Keeper's Calling by Kelly Nelson

Goodreads (description):

Chase Harper's to-do list for senior year never included "fall in love" and "fight for your life," but things rarely go as planned. Tarnished gold and resembling a pocket watch, the counter he finds in a cave during the summer of 2011 will forever change the course of his life, leading him to the beautiful Ellie Williams and unlocking a power beyond his wildest imagination. In 1863, Ellie Williams completes school in Boston and returns to the Utah Territory only to discover that her grandfather and his counter, a treasured family heirloom, are missing. When Ellie is abducted and told she must produce the counter or die, an unexpected rescuer comes to her aid.
My Review:

I normally don't listen to audio books, because I'm always afraid of what the narrator will sound like. For some books, I've heard that the narrator can ruin the book, but the guy who narrated Keeper's Calling was actually pretty great.

This book is about Chase Harper, a senior in high school, and one of the sweetest male protagonist I've read about in a while--which I'll get to in a minute.

Chase and his family were enjoying the last bit of summer camping in Zion's National Park in Utah, when he decides to go off and explore on his own. In a dark cave, Chase finds a golden pocket watch, and messes with a few strange buttons on the inside. Suddenly, Chase sees three people dressed like they were from the late 1800's. His reaction was perfect. He thought that he was on the scene of a western movie set. It is only when he sees that the two men were going to hurt their captive--Ellie Williams--that he begins to realize there's something beyond any explanation he could think of going on.

It is then that he discovers the gold pocket watch he now carries actually a time traveling device.

Can I just say how much I love time travel stories?

With Ellie by his side, Chase begins to learn how to use the counter. A whole new world--or should I say times?--was opened up to him. He was faced with many problems. How to keep Ellie safe from the Sniffers, how to control where and when he landed when using the counter, the Erie Canal, and what exactly his purpose was as guardian of his counter.

Although I thoroughly enjoy the time-travel aspect of the story, I was grateful that Chase maintained contact with his family. With most time-travel stories I've read or watched, it seems the minute the character goes into the past or future, they leave behind their family until their journey is over. Chase however used his current time-line as an anchor, always coming back when the small tasks he accomplished were over. It made him more relate-able, because had I been in his place, I would have gone back if I could too.

Now to explain why I think Chase is one of the sweetest male protagonists I've ever read about. I won't spoil the story, but the romance in this book was so cute--and it was realistic, in the fact that he didn't suddenly fall head over heels. The attraction was there in the beginning, obviously, but it took time for Chase to discover his feelings for Ellie. And it was just so cute! He treated her like a princess and did anything he could to keep her safe. Oh, it was super sweet. I loved it!

Overall, this was a clean and fun story about the beginning of a boy's journey through time. And, I'm excited for the next books! In this one we only get a small taste of the bigger picture, and I'm very intrigued to see what exactly that picture will be.

I give this a 5 out of 5!

Monday, January 12, 2015

Cutless by Ashley Nixon!








Cutlass (Cutlass #1)
by Ashley Nixon
Release Date: 11/13/14


Summary from Goodreads:

Notorious pirate Barren Reed has one
thing on his mind: Revenge against the man who killed his father. So kidnapping
his enemy's fiancé seems a perfect plan…until he actually does it.

Larkin Lee is more than a pretty face and fiancé to a powerful man. Her fierce
personality is enough to make any pirate want to push her overboard.

But when the King of the Orient comes to Barren with a task—to find the
Bloodstone, a powerful gem thought only to exist in legend, Barren sees another
opportunity to destroy his enemy. Together, Barren, Larkin and a crew of
pirates set off to find the stone, only to discover it caused the death of
Barren’s own mother and Larkin’s, too. As his strongest allies turn into his
greatest enemies, and the life of the girl he kidnapped becomes more important
than he ever dreamed, Barren’s quest for revenge becomes a fight to save the
Orient.



Buy
Links:


AmazonBarnes
& Noble






About the Author

Ashley was born and raised in Oklahoma, where the
wind really does sweep down the plains, and horses and carriages aren't used as
much as she'd like. When she's not writing, she's hard at work on her Master's
degree in Library Science and Information Technology, working out, or
pretending she's Sherlock Holmes. Her obsession with writing began after
reading the Lord of the Rings in the eighth grade. Since then, she's loved
everything Fantasy--resulting in an unhealthy obsession with the 'geek' tab on
Pinterest, where all things awesome go.

Author Links:




GIVEAWAY:



Book Blitz Organized by:

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Parched by Gerogia Clark!

A themed tour with Prism Book Tours.

ParchedParched
by Georgia Clark

YA Romantic Sci-Fi

Hardcover, 312 Pages

March 14th 2014 by Holiday House

Robots, renewable resources, and romance get tangled together in this thrilling futuristic adventure novel about a utopian city struggling to keep its peace.


"Bold futurist adventure with unusual romance, riveting action and ominous ecological red flags." —Kirkus Reviews



Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Indie Bound




Here's an Interview With Georgia Clark!

1) Where did you get the idea for Tess?

Tess is a combination of me, some of my friends, and other YA heroines. I love creating spunky female characters who are brave, but flawed, who are active, emotional but not just boy-crazy. Tess is not a girly-girl, and neither am I.

2) How did you come up with this futuristic world?

It’s so fun inventing a futuristic, sci-fi world: I recommend everyone do it, at least once! The world of Parched is a combination of my feelings about my hometown of Sydney, impressions of the first place I ever visited outside of Sydney, which was Mexico, and a hodge-podge of influences: podcasts, magazines, novels, movies, etc. I really wanted to invent something that felt plausible, and real. I think Eden could function pretty well as a small city.

3) Who are some of your favorite authors?

Maggie Stiefvater; She’s a lyrical, adventurous writer, plus she is just a cool lady to boot. Bret Easton Ellis; Glamoroma is my fave book for grown-ups (very grown-up grown-ups) Margaret Atwood is a genius, as is David Mitchell. Lauren Oliver is fantastic, as is Laini Taylor and Rainbow Rowell.

4) When did you start writing?

I was writing short stories about talking foxes from a very young age, I was always really inspired by my teachers A++++ ratings (I respond VERY well to being told I did a good job, even as an adult). There was a lot of bad poetry, weird short stories and self-aggrandizing journalism at university. So the answer is, I’ve been doing it, like, forever, man.

5) What's the best and worst thing about writing?

The best thing is you get to indulge in your imagination, to let it off the leash and encourage it to go crazy! You get to write stories EXACTLY as you want them: you’re bending the world to your will. And you get to work in your pajamas. I’m probably the happiest when I have my coffee by my side, it’s raining, and I’m in bed tip-tapping away on my computer.
The worst thing is, when you’re rejected (not ‘if’, when) it’s for you, your ideas, your talent. It’s personal. There’s also the terrible gap between your taste (very good) and your talent (getting there). I read writers like David Mitchell or Maggie Stiefvater and think ‘How did they do it?!’. But you do get better with practice, thankfully, so you just have to keep at it, and keep reading writers better than you.

6) What is your advice to novice writers?

  1. Be a kind manager of you.

As a writer, you are both the talent and the manager. Be the best manager you can be. A good manager has realistic expectations of the talent. They reward hard work, but aren't afraid to impose penalties for negligence. A great manager is always on your side.

  2. Create a routine that plays to your strengths.

If you want to write a novel, you must establish a routine. Very few professional writers write when 'inspiration strikes', they write at a regular time. The more you can make writing part of your weekly routine, the easier it becomes. Find out when and where you write best and commit to being there. Consider using apps like Freedom or Anti-Social to block out the internet. Treat it like a real job if you want real results.

  3. Realistic word counts (or hours at the desk) and deadlines

I have a weekly deadline of words, and if I don't make it by Friday, I work on the weekend. I commit to a deadline with my agent – enormously helpful. If you don't have an agent, commit to a deadline with another writer or a supportive friend/partner.

Also, sign up for writing classes! Also, I’m teaching a short, online course this month (January) through a site called Lit Reactor. It’s about creating a compelling sci-fi premise for a short story or novel. If you’ve always wanted to write a sci-fi, or you’re just looking for something to kickstart your imagination, sign up!


Thank you Georgia for the interview! I agree with you about the best and worst things about writing. I am an aspiring writer myself and I think the same things about the many great published authors who I admire. Thanks for taking the time to give some great advice.

All the things! (in order of preference if you don’t want to include them all)

Twitter: @georgialouclark
Official website: http://georgiaclark.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3344476.Georgia_Clark
Tumblr: http://georgialouiseclark.tumblr.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/georgialouclark


Embed this copy for my Mailchimp newsletter sign-up:

Become digital pen pals with Georgia






Georgia Clark is an Australian writer and performer based in Brooklyn. She is the author of the young adult novels SHE’S WITH THE BAND (Allen & Unwin) and sci-fi/romance PARCHED (Holiday House). Widely published online and in print. Won some awards/grants/residencies. Has a play on at the NY Fringe festival. Pretty keen on cheese plates. 



Georgia is gearing up to teach a short, online writing class about writing sci-fi through a Lit Reactor course. Want to go check it out and join? Go HERE! Begins January 14th.



Tour-Wide Giveaway

$20 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

Signed copy of Parched (US only)

Ends January 25th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the January Tour!

Prism Book Tours

Between Now and Never by Laura Johnston!

Today we get to reveal Author Laura Johnston's Newest book BETWEEN NOW AND NEVER!


Laura is an amazing author, so let's get to know her first:




Laura Johnston lives in Utah with her husband
and two children. Growing up with five siblings, a few horses, peach trees,
beehives and gardens, she developed an active imagination and always loved a
good story. She fell in love with the young adult genre both through her
experience in high school as well as her job later as a high school teacher.
Laura enjoys running, playing tennis, sewing, traveling, writing, and above
all, spending time with her husband and kids. REWIND TO YOU is her debut novel.


You may be curious about what this fabulous book could be about, well here is the back cover blurb:


A convict’s daughter should never fall for an FBI agent’s son, certainly not a teenager like Julianna Schultz who is furious over her mother’s incarceration and the injustice of it all. But that’s exactly what seventeen-year-old Julianna finds herself doing when Cody Rush, the cocky son of the FBI agent who put her mom behind bars, moves into her hometown of Gilbert, Arizona.

Cody Rush—studious, principled, athletic, good looking and blond to boot—is everything Julianna hates, or so she thinks. Yet a series of ill-fated events one night brings them dangerously close, entangling the futures of two people who were never meant to be.


And now for the Fantastic Book Cover!!






Now Here's An Excerpt!


PHOTO BOOTH 

We listen to the monotone voice reel off instructions. Four pictures. A light will flash before each picture is taken. How I ended up in this position I’m not sure. 

“Quick,” I say, “what should we do?” A flash of light. Picture one down. Both of our mouths were hanging open, blank stares straight ahead. 

We burst into laughter and can’t stop. A second flash. Picture number two: both of us laughing. 

Our gazes meet and we pull ourselves together, his eyes never veering from mine. He leans toward me, coming halfway before pausing, his eyes seeking permission. I regard him with equal parts terror and anticipation, the intimacy of the situation whispering a thrill. He closes the distance between us and glides his nose through my hair. My heart rattles around as though this is the first boy I’ve ever been close to. 

“Now smile,” he whispers into my ear. My cheeks burn despite myself and I feel the corners of my lips tugging upward. A flash of light signals the third picture and I am totally seduced.












Grab your copy at one of these fabulous sites:


AMAZON:

http://www.amazon.com/Between-Now-Never-Laura-Johnston-ebook/dp/B00ONTR75U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420162054&sr=8-1&keywords=between+now+and+never

BARNES AND NOBLE:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/between-now-never-laura-johnston/1120611627?ean=9781601833525&itm=1&usri=9781601833525&cm_mmc=Random%20House-_-**TITLE**-RandomHouse-9781601833525-_-Between%20Now

KENSINGTON PUBLISHING:
http://www.ebooks.com/1819424/between-now-never/johnston-laura/

KOBO BOOKS:

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/between-now-never


Don't forget to show support for the author by commenting below and checking out the other wonderful blogs joining the reveal!!!