Starcrossed, by Josephine Angelini

From Goodreads: How do you defy destiny? Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it’s getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she’s haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they’re destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

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HarperCollins had been extremely gracious to allow me to read an ARC of this novel prior to its release today, via Netgalley, and I must say, I’m in love with this book!  Starcrossed is an amazing adventure, pulling the reader in from the very beginning.  Although it’s a 496 page novel, I read it extremely quickly because it’s just that good. 

Let’s start with the characters.  Lucas is my favorite; he is a kind, caring, strong male lead, and I really enjoyed him (love him).  I am jealous of Helen’s relationship with him, even as rocky as it is.   All the characters are beautifully written, and I really enjoyed getting to know them throughout the novel.  Even the secondary characters were diverse and rounded out, and I really enjoyed this aspect of the novel. 

The writing itself is phenomenal.  Angelini takes Greek mythology to the next level in her novel, creating a wonderful story of intrigue.  The flow of the novel is perfect, and I was captivated throughout the entire novel, never wanting it to end!  I love how the story is fleshed out and explained in increments, keeping the reader guessing, and then pulling it all together at the end.  It is definitely set up for the sequel, for which I am highly excited, and although it somewhat leaves the reader hanging, wondering about the trustworthiness of some of the characters, it’s a good place to end.

Overall, this is a phenomenal read and I highly recommend it.  Whether you have a background in Greek mythology or not, Angelini will pull you in and explain everything so well that you will become an expert on the topic.  Five stars.

The Girl’s Guide to Homelessness, by Brianna Karp

From Goodreads: Brianna Karp entered the workforce at age ten, supporting her mother and sister throughout her teen years in Southern California. Although her young life was scarred by violence and abuse, Karp stayed focused on her dream of a steady job and a home of her own. By age twenty-two her dream became reality. Karp loved her job as an executive assistant and signed the lease on a tiny cottage near the beach.

And then the Great Recession hit. Karp, like millions of others, lost her job. In the six months between the day she was laid off and the day she was forced out onto the street, Karp scrambled for temp work and filed hundreds of job applications, only to find all doors closed. When she inherited a thirty-foot travel trailer after her father’s suicide, Karp parked it in a Walmart parking lot and began to blog about her search for work and a way back.

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Harlequin has been extremely gracious to allow me to read a copy of this novel, via Netgalley, and so I’m sorry to say that I wasn’t really pulled in by this memoir.  I think I expected something completely different from this novel.  As it’s titled The Girl’s Guide to Homelessness, I was expecting the novel to focus on Karp’s homelessness and how she coped, and though it technically did, I don’t feel like that was a main purpose of this novel.  The first thirty percent of the novel gives Karp’s background story, and while it’s interesting, I also felt like it was mainly written to bash her family and Jehovah’s Witnesses.  I love the sarcasm, I do, and I don’t doubt that Karp has had a horrible life and dealt with may difficult situations, but this is a very pessimistic viewpoint of life and reality, and it’s a little more depressing than I’m used to.  I don’t necessarily enjoy reading a completely pessimistic viewpoint about all the negative in someone’s life.  I don’t know, because I’m not Karp, but I feel like with all the bad, there always has to be some sort of good, and focusing solely on the bad creates a morphed viewpoint of the world—it creates pessimists, and I don’t really enjoy reading negative memoirs, though I guess that is what most memoirs tend to be nowadays?

When Karp wrote about her experiences living in the parking lot at Walmart, I was really interested.  She offers great insights into the life of the homeless while also giving great tips.  Let’s face it, no one really plans to be homeless, but Karp’s situation could be any of us out there.  Losing one’s job is the tip of the iceberg, but what if you don’t have a family to go back to, and what if you don’t have any friends to put you up until you get back on your feet?  Karp argues her points on homelessness very well, and I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the story, and I wish more of the memoir dealt with this part of her life.

Karp spends most of the memoir either talking about her deranged mother and the abuse she endured, or explaining how she became a famous homeless person, using her blog as a way to meet other homeless people and make connections.  Her story mainly follows Matt, a Scottish blogger she falls in love with and becomes engaged to, even though they spend minimal time together, as he’s in Scotland most of the time.  While I found this section interesting, I was also concerned by the naivety that Karp seems to employ—if you are homeless, and your fiancé is not, why are you paying for everything when he comes to visit, including his plane ticket?  Yet, I do love Karp’s candid writing, where she lays it all out on the table, including her mistakes, and though I could easily spot the warning signs, I have to remember that when in a relationship, we tend to be blind to the truth.  However, the fact that Matt pays for nothing, among other warning signs, paled my respect for him, and the more I read, the more I felt like this novel was written as more of a slap in the face for Matt and Karp’s family than it was to explain her life as a homeless woman.  Of course, this is all perspective, and I know a lot of readers out there really enjoyed this book—I think going in with different expectations is what lowered my rating of this book, since I really thought it was going to focus on being homeless more than it really did.  Two stars.

Don’t Breath A Word, by Jennifer McMahon

From Goodreads: On a soft summer night in Vermont, twelve-year-old Lisa went into the woods behind her house and never came out again. Before she disappeared, she told her little brother, Sam, about a door that led to a magical place where she would meet the King of the Fairies and become his queen. Fifteen years later, Phoebe is in love with Sam, a practical, sensible man who doesn’t fear the dark and doesn’t have bad dreams—who, in fact, helps Phoebe ignore her own. But suddenly the couple is faced with a series of eerie, unexplained occurrences that challenge Sam’s hardheaded, realistic view of the world. As they question their reality, a terrible promise Sam made years ago is revealed—a promise that could destroy them all.

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HarperCollins has been extremely gracious to allow me to read a copy of this recently released novel, via Netgalley, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It is highly suspenseful and fast paced, and the alternating chapters between past and present were fascinating. Told in the third person narrative to give the reader access to all the characters’ thoughts and feelings, McMahone creates a beautiful story of love and betrayal. I especially enjoyed the juxtaposition of past and present, giving the reader a glimpse into the days leading up to Lisa’s disappearance, yet still focusing on Phoebe and Sam’s present struggle to find the truth, fifteen years later. As this novel tends to focus on the adult world, Sam and Phoebe being grownups, I wouldn’t necessarily classify this as a YA novel, though it has been categorize as such. Here’s why: the opening of the novel describes a sexual encounter between 20-year-old Phoebe and her 40+ something boss—who’s married. That, and the dark twisted background that rises to the surface within the novel, makes me a firm believer that this is for an older crowd. I was a little stunned going into the novel as I thought it was YA, so I think it’s pertinent readers are aware of what they’re getting into here. I enjoyed the novel thoroughly, but personally, this isn’t something I’d give a fourteen year old; some of this is very heavy.

This novel is a rollercoaster ride. Faeries exist… no, they don’t exist… yes, they exist… no, they don’t? What I really loved about McMahone’s story was that it kept me guessing. Each time I thought I had it figured out, I was pulled in another direction, and this lasted all the way up to the final page. As I write this, I’m still sitting here trying to decide what is truth and what is fiction. There is a very fine line that McMahone creates within the novel, and it will have you turning the pages, frantically trying to figure out if this is indeed a paranormal novel, or just an everyday story of betrayal and intrigue. I suggest you pick up a copy and decide for yourselves. Three and a half stars.

ARC Review: The Girl in the Steel Corset, by Kady Cross (The Steampunk Chronicles #1)

From Goodreads:  In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the “thing” inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she’s special, says she’s one of them.The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin’s investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff’s little company of strays apart, and it isn’t long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she’s on—even if it seems no one believes her.

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Harlequin has been extremely gracious to allow me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley,  prior to its release at the end of this month, and I must say I really enjoyed it.  The more steampunk I read, the more I really like this fantasy genre, and I can’t believe I wasn’t aware of it before I picked up this series.  The Girl in the Steel Corset was a really interesting novel, though I have to say this: it reminded me of The Great Mouse Detective.  Did you see that Disney cartoon from… I don’t know, about twenty years ago?  I’m not sure if it’s even still in circulation, but I have it on VHS, and I must say that there are a lot of similarities between that cartoon and this novel.  No spoilers, I promise, but if you’ve seen that cartoon, then you’ll have a pretty good understanding of what takes place in this novel.  That being said, I’m not sure if it’s because of that movie, or because of the foreshadowing Cross uses in her novel, but I was able to decipher the Machinists plans early on in the story.  That didn’t take away from the intensity of the novel in any way, and it was still suspenseful, but I wasn’t as surprised as I would have liked to have been.  I think Cross’ writing style makes up for the fact that I wasn’t as surprised, as she kept me interested and turning the pages through her action packed prose, and I had a great time getting to know the characters as well.  I like Finley a lot, though I do believe she has a bit of an inferiority complex, which I hope disappears in the next installment of the series.  Finley second guesses herself a lot, and believes herself an outsider in nearly all situations.  She is still a very strong character, with amazing strength and agility, but I wasn’t a fan of her disposition, on many occasions, when she dealt with Griffin and his band of misfits.

I read and reviewed the prequel, The Strange Case of Finley Jayne yesterday, and I really enjoyed that novella as well, though I was surprised that The Girl in the Steel Corset seemed very disconnected from the novella.  Perhaps the novella was just created to shed light on Finley’s character, but I was under the impression that she knew about her strange abilities and could control them.  Yet, in The Girl in the Steel Corset, Finley seems to be struggling with her identity much more than she did in the prequel.  That aside, though, I enjoyed both the novella and the novel, and recommend them both, though you do not need them in any particular order.  Three stars. 

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne, by Kady Cross (The Steampunk Chronicles #0.5)

From Goodreads:  Finley Jayne knows she’s not ‘normal’. Normal girls don’t lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she’s offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined…

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This is my very first time reading a steampunk novel, and I must say, I really do like it.  I wasn’t sure what to think, and I even researched steampunk online and on twitter because I was having a hard time wrapping my head around the term, but after having read The Strange Case Of Finley Jayne, I finally understand!  And, I like it.  The use of steam power is present throughout the novel, as there are steam carriages, robotic horses, and even automatons with pincer-like limbs, yet the novel is set in 1897 London.  This alternate era and steam technology is what classifies the genre as steampunk, as it has dealings with excessively technological advances, yet set in the past—or so I gather from my research.

I liked this prequel novella.  It’s a completely new genre for me, and I liked the kick-butt heroine Finley a lot.  I was very interested in the plotline, though I do think that the story is a little too obvious.  I knew exactly what Lord Vincent was up to once Finley visited his house early on in the novel, yet the style of writing and the unfolding events still kept my interest.

The writing style was interesting.  I liked the amount of sarcasm that Finley possesses, though I did feel like some of the language was too modern, while at other times it was more archaic.  However, since this is an alternate world were technological advances exceed our own, regardless of the year, it didn’t bother me as it’s not technically a historical novella. 

While this novella does leave the reader with a few questions in terms of who Finley really is, and where her powers come from, I think that it stands alone very well, and I’m sure that The Girl in the Steel Corset will explain Finley in more depth.  This prequel is really just to whet the appetite, and I think it certainly did just that!  I am really looking forward to reading The Girl in the Steel Corset next, so stay tuned for my review of it tomorrow.  Three stars.

This is currently a free eBook download at Amazon and Barnes and Nobel, though I do not know how long that will last!  Pick up your copy today!

ARC Review: The Girl Who Disappeared Twice, by Andrea Kane

From Goodreads: If she’d only turned her head, she would have seen the car containing her daughter, struggling to escape her kidnapper.  Despite years determining the fates of families, family court judge Hope Willis couldn’t save her own.  Now she’s grasping at any hope for Krissy’s rescue.  She calls Casey Woods and her team of investigators, Forensic Instincts.

A behaviorist.  A techno-wizard.  An intuitive.  A former Navy SEAL.  Unconventional operatives.  All with unique talents and reasons for joining Casey’s group.

Able to accurately read people after the briefest encounter, Casey picks up signs of a nervous spouse, a guilty conscience, a nanny that hides on her cell.  She watches as secrets creep into the open.

But time is running out, and the authorities are bound by the legal system.  Not Casey’s team.  For they know that the difference between Krissy coming back alive and disappearing forever could be as small as a suspect’s rapid breathing, or as deep as Hope’s dark family history.

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Harlequin has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, through Netgalley, prior to its upcoming release on May 31, and I must say, I really enjoyed it.  Now, I will admit that I was wary when I began reading.  As this novel revolves around the kidnapping of five year old Krissy, I was worried that it might deal with pedophilia, and if that was the case, there was no way I was reading it.  I was very happy to find, however, this is not one of those the break your heart, can’t finish reading, gruesome kidnapping novels, and Kane makes this clear fairly early on in the novel.  So, if you’re anything like me, rest assured; it’s a safe read.

There were many side stories in this novel, and while it mainly focuses on Casey and her Forensic Instincts team, I enjoyed reading about the FBI’s involvement, the skeletons in the Willis family closet, and even the mobs perspective within the story.  As it’s told solely from the third person omniscient point of view, Kane is also able to easily glide into Krissy’s thoughts and feelings, and even those of the kidnapper, reminding the reader of the imminent danger while the mystery unfolds and the characters learn vital information about the case and each other. 

While the kidnapper’s identity is not revealed until the end of the novel, I found his/her identity fairly obvious due to the sheer amount of allusion and foreshadowing in the story.  I was a little disappointed that I was able to figure it out so quickly, yet Kane still adds suspense to the novel, and keeps the reader engaged through the mechanics of the kidnapping.  The hows and whys, and the fact that there is an accomplice no one would suspect, make up for the early foreshadowing of the true kidnapper.  Four stars. 

Just Released: Vanish in Plain Sight, by Marta Perry (Amish Suspense #2)

From Goodreads: Since she was a little girl, Marisa Angelo has been haunted by the image of her mother walking away, suitcase in hand, to return to her Amish roots.

Marisa and her “Englischer” father never saw or heard from her again.  Now Marisa has received a shocking call from police.  Her mother’s bloodstained suitcase was found hidden inside the wall of a Pennsylvania Dutch farmhouse.

Desperate for answers, Marisa heads to Lancaster County.  But no one—not the police or Marisa’s tight-lipped Amish relatives—can explain what happened to her mother.

Only one man is as determined as Marisa to unravel the mystery—Link Morgan, the handsome ex-military loner who found the suitcase in the house he inherited from his uncle.  Now both Link’s and Marisa’s family members are implicated in the decades-old disappearance.

The secret lies somewhere in the quaint Amish settlement.  But someone will do anything to ensure the truth remains hidden forever.

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Harlequin has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, through Netgalley, prior to its release (available now), and I am eternally grateful as this book blew me away!  It’s such a good murder mystery, and as I am highly intrigued by the Amish lifestyle, this was the perfect novel for me.  Perry is an extremely talented writer and I was drawn into the story from the very first page.  I couldn’t put it down, and I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting!  The prose, the dialogue, the characters, the mystery… it’s all beautifully written, and I can’t get over how wonderful the novel really is. 

Perry is a fantastic writer and the amount of research she puts into her novels is amazing.  Her facts and information pertaining to the Amish was eye opening, and the prose is beautiful.  The story was very fast paced, and at one point or another, every character seemed a suspect, and I loved how much action and how fast paced the story really was.  Usually I have an inkling as to who the responsible parties are within a mystery novel, but Perry does a phenomenal job keeping the reader guessing, and I was flabbergasted by the reveal—I never saw it coming.  Although the novel is close to four hundred pages, it doesn’t feel like such a long read—Perry keeps the novel shrouded in suspense and mystery and I was so wrapped up in it that time just flew by as I read. 

The best news about this book, I think, is that it’s actually the second novel in the Amish Suspense series.  I was not aware of that until halfway through the novel, and as it’s such an amazing read, finding out that there’s actually another book in the series made my day.  Yet, what I really love is that the order you read these novels in does not matter, as each novel can stand alone.  Both Murder in Plain Sight and Vanish in Plain Sight take place in the same Amish community, and some of the characters do overlap, however it’s not so extensive that you have to read them in order.  While Vanish in Plain Sight does allude to events in the first novel on occasion, it does not take away from either novel, as nothing is revealed to ruin book one if you haven’t already read it, and it’s still very easy to understand the events in book two.  I cannot wait to get my hands on Murder in Plain Sight, as I’m expecting it to be just a phenomenal as Vanish in Plain Sight!  Five stars!

Releasing Today: Putting Makeup on Dead People, by Jen Violi

From Goodreads: In the spring of her senior year, Donna Parisi finds new life in an unexpected place: a coffin.

Since her father’s death four years ago, Donna has gone through the motions of living: her friendships are empty, she’s clueless about what to do after high school graduation, and her grief keeps her isolated, cut off even from the one parent she has left.  That is until she’s standing in front of the dead body of a classmate at Brighton Brothers’ Funeral Home.  At that moment, Donna realizes what might just give her life purpose is comforting others in death.  That maybe who she really wants to be is a mortician.

This discovery sets in motion a life Donna never imagined was possible.  She befriends a charismatic new student, Liz, notices a boy, Charlie, and realizes that maybe he’s been noticing her, too, and finds herself trying things she hadn’t dreamed of trying before.  By taking risks, Donna comes into her own, diving into her mortuary studies with a passion and skill she didn’t know she had in her.  And she finally understands that moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting someone you love.

Jen Violi’s heartfelt and funny debut novel is a story of transformation—how one girl learns to grieve and say goodbye, turn loss into a gift, and let herself be exceptional…at loving, applying lipstick to corpses, and finding life in the wake of death.

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Disney-Hyperion was extremely gracious to allow me to read an ARC of this novel prior to its release today.  I must admit, I wanted to read this novel for the mortician aspect—I’ve always wanted to be a mortician.  I know it’s morbid, but I’ve always had a weird fascination with death, so I was easily able to connect with Donna on this level.  I had hoped for more of the story to center around the funeral home and actually putting makeup on dead people, but the focus of the book isn’t really about that at all, or even the job of a mortician.  Instead, this novel focuses on Donna Parisi’s coming of age.  Lost and forlorn, Donna still struggles with the death of her father, and she must battle her metaphorical ghosts and learn to move on.  While I enjoyed this portion of the story, I did find the narrative to be a bit too slow for my taste.  As Donna deals with different aspects of her life, such as her mother, love interests, finding a job, and deciding on a school for college, she seems to just glide along.  I’m more of an action lover, and this novel doesn’t really deal with that aspect much, though its real life parallels were interesting in their own right. 

Violi is a talented writer and this shines through as the story progresses.  The dialogue and situations occurring in the novel are very real, and I can just see them taking place.  I enjoyed watching Donna’s self exploration and her eventual epiphany as it all came together, and I think the characters in this novel are very lifelike—I actually see myself in Donna a little bit, though I’m ashamed to say it—she can be quite mean to those who love her.  The one aspect of the writing that I wasn’t a fan of, though, is the sexual portions in the novel.  I could have done without these segments, and I don’t think they really add anything to the novel.  While many readers may not find the sexual encounters explicit, I did, and these characteristics just aren’t my thing.  Granted, the scenes are fairly short, but just the same, I like my YA novels to be sex free; it’s a personal thing.  Aside from the sex, though, I think this was a sweet coming of age novel that many will enjoy.  Two and a half stars.

Angel Burn, by L.A. Weatherly

From Goodreads: 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.  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.  In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L.A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip — and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

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Candlewick Press has been extremely gracious to allow me to read an ARC of this novel, through Netgalley, prior to its official release in the U.S. tomorrow.  I am very thankful for this opportunity, especially because this is a phenomenal book!  I was pulled into the narrative instantly, completely in love with this fresh look at the angelic world in YA literature.  It seems fallen angels took YA literature by storm last year, but Weatherly’s novel is completely different from the mainstream angel world, and I was drawn in by this new perspective.  Whereas many angel novels tend to deal with fallen angels trying to help humanity or gain admittance back into heaven, Weatherly takes an unprecedented look at angel invasions of our world: what if angels aren’t good?  What if angels actually drain our life force, and we are manipulated into believing that they are our salvation?  And, if this is the case, what do you do when all these angels in our world are out looking for you?  Weatherly does a superb job of mixing the token alien invasion scenario with that of the heavenly angel beliefs, leaving us with a purely original, phenomenal novel.

Weatherly shrouds the angel assassin, Alex, in much mystery throughout the novel, and I was highly intrigued by his character.  Alex’s story is narrated through the third person—complete with flashbacks that allow the reader small glimpses into his carefully guarded life, yet his background and lifestyle remain cryptic through most of the novel.  Willow, on the other hand, tells her story in the first person narrative, and her background quickly becomes know, creating a nearly instantaneous bond between her and the reader as her persona is completely virtuous.  Weatherly is one of the only authors I’ve read that has been able to switch back and forth between first and third person narratives with ease, keeping the reader on point, even as the switches sometimes occur between paragraphs.  The fact that Weatherly is able to maintain the flow of the story and not confuse the reader at the same time is a testament to her sheer writing capabilities.

While the novel is somewhat long, being over 400 pages, it is the perfect length to give the reader an in-depth look at the characters and their development without completely losing the reader.  As I read, I felt like I truly knew Alex and Willow, and the character development and romance of the story becomes extremely real as the characters are fleshed out as the story unfolds.  One of the reasons Weatherly is able to write such a long novel and still keep the reader interested also comes from her ability to blend action and romance together so as to keep the reader completely enamored as the story progresses.  I read the entire novel in one sitting and didn’t realize the time float by as I was that enveloped in the story.  Five stars.

A Sweeter Kind of Rhythm, by T.L. Peters

I just read T.L. Peter’s short story, “A Sweeter Kind Of Rhythm,” and I must say, it is fantastic!  This short story follows the life of a violin as it recounts its many ups and downs over the centuries, changing hands between those that love it, and those that don’t.  When I was in high school, I used to write all my short stories for English from the viewpoint of inanimate objects—I think personification is my favorite literary device, and T.L. Peters captures this element beautifully through the voice of the violin.  It’s a heartbreaking tale of sorrow, yet redemption does come, and it’s a haunting tale with a magnificent theme—you need to read it to understand.

“A Sweeter Kind of Rhythm” was previously only online at the RED OCHRE LiT: A JOURNAL, but is now available from other vendors as well under the new title “A Sweeter Rhythm” (see links below); you should definitely check it out!  To read more about the author, T.L. Peters, check out his blog.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/A-Sweeter-Rhythm-ebook/dp/B0053NY2P8

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-sweeter-rhythm-tl-peters/1031340107

Smashwords:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/63425

Wallflower, by Holly-Jane Rahlens

From Goodreads:  Wallflower is four hours in the life of Molly Lenzfeld, sixteen-year-old New Yorker in Berlin.  It is Thanksgiving Day 1989, two weeks after the fall of the Wall.  Molly, the daughter of a German-Jewish mother who fled the Nazis in 1938, is off to her mother’s birth house in East Berlin.  On the subway trip from West to East wallflower Molly meets East German wildflower Mick Maier, nineteen.  It’s love at first sight, and for both, a journey into an unknown land, into the labyrinth of Berlin’s underground world, a terrain in which they discover each other, the absurdities of the divided city, and, of course, the wonder of love.

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Wallflower is a powerful novel examining the history of Germany and the Berlin Wall, which is, unfortunately, a subject that many young people are unfamiliar with today.  The Berlin Wall, it’s construction and destruction, is not something that many history textbooks get to throughout the year, and when I asked my students what the Berlin Wall was, they really didn’t know a whole lot about it.  As I teach a 10^th grade world literature class, I think Wallflower is a wonderful novella that my students would not only enjoy, but also learn from as the story unfolds.  I am not an expert on the Berlin Wall either, but I learned a lot through Rahlen’s beautiful prose.  The story seems to flow right off the page and, while it is educational, it does not overpower the reader with history, but rather deals with a love story, while subtly explaining the background of the Berlin Wall. 

Molly is a snarky, sarcastic character that I just loved.  I laughed aloud as I read her first person narrative, and I learned a lot about the Berlin Wall through her interactions with other characters and the story itself.  The four hours Molly spends in East Germany, recently reopened to the West after 28 years, is a beautiful story of love and redemption, and I actually cried at one point, in sheer joy, as Mick expressed his feelings as he crossed the wall for the first time in his life.  It’s a very powerful story, and I think all young adults should read it.  The writing style is beautiful and Rahlens effectively captures the essence of a divided country and the hardships East Germany endured after the Wall was built in 1961.

Of course, Wallflower is only a glimpse into Molly’s life for four hours, so not all my questions about the Wall were answered, but my interest was piqued enough to begin researching more about it.  As I researched, I found that Rahlens puts forth much more history within her short novella than I originally thought, and the very subtle details that she places throughout are actually huge ordeals in the history of the Berlin Wall.  I love this novella, and I plan to put this on the outside reading list for my students because it’s a story I believe all people should read.  Five stars.

Interested in more information about the Berlin Wall?  I found these sites helpful:

Berlin Wall Online

Chronik Der Mauer

Berlin.de

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher, Berlinica Publishing LLC,  in exchange for an honest review.

Acadia, Book I: The Lost King and the Goddess of Time, by Ali Naqvi (The Second Great War Trilogy)

From Goodreads: It was only a nightmare at first, but Damont soon realizes that he can see into the future-a curse he has to live with for being the only son of a king dead for a thousand years, with a mother who is the goddess of time.

A man in black armor with a face as obscure as the shadows mantling him laughs wickedly. Who is he and why does he continue to haunt me, Damont wonders. Appearing only in his dreams, the man in the black armor stands alone and laughs high as if to mock him while the world around him burns to cinder. “They are not dreams, my son,” a voice calls out to him in a vision after the many nightmares-claiming to be his mother whom abandoned him when he was but a child. “They are shards of a broken world to come if you so take the path of your father.” If such a path does lie ahead beyond a throne that sits vacant for centuries, with an empire in the east growling for war, then Damont Langörn realizes he has but one choice: follow the visions and seek out the truth lost to both him and the world behind his lineage-but will he be strong enough to face such a malevolent foe of his nightmares?

With a vampire and a sorceress at his side, Damont begins his journey, but such a road is not an easy one to take if the gods themselves do not wish for his return as the king who would unite the world against their existence and bring demise to their very doorstep.

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Naqvi has created an ingenious world complete with gods and goddesses, vampires, sorcerers, kings and queens… and his style emulates that of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.  I was very impressed with the writing style and the story itself; Naqvi has a knack for storytelling, though I must admit that I found the sheer amount of historical background a little much for my taste.  Now, that being said, I’m also admitting that I had extreme difficulty reading Tolkien for the same reason.  I’m not a history buff and I tend to focus on the action of a novel more so than the vital background information, so I have a hard time reading through the histories of these types of novels.  Yet, as Naqvi emulates Tolkien’s style, and as Acadia is the first novel in this series, the historical aspects of the novel are really the foundation of the story, and it needs to be there.  Although it wasn’t my forte, as I thought the action was minimal compared to the vast history, Naqvi has created a wonderful backdrop of the rest of his series, creating beautiful descriptions of the lands and its people, and I believe that many readers will highly enjoy Acadia, especially if they are fans of Tolkien. 

I really did like the novel, and I think many people will highly enjoy it, especially as the second edition comes out and small grammatical errors are fixed.  Naqvi is a very fluid writer and, though there are grammatical errors here and there, I must say that the dialogue throughout the novel really caught my attention.  Naqvi is writing about the middle lands, set in the 5000s, yet, as the novel encompasses an alternate world, it utilizes archaic language.  Naqvi does a phenomenal job keeping his characters dialogue on point, and they never once switch into slang, which is something I see many authors accidentally doing when trying to write archaic dialogue—mainly because it is second nature.  It is obvious that Naqvi has put a lot of time, energy, and love into his novel, and he even utilizes footnotes to aid the reader as the story unfolds.  Tolkien fans really should read this novel.  Three stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Interview with Jackie Gamber–Author of Redheart

Jackie Gamber was kind enough to answer some questions for me in regards to her awesome novel Redheart. So, without further ado:

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Redheart, book one of the Leland Dragon Series, is a very interesting and thought provoking YA novel. What led you to write this debut novel? What were your inspirations for the novel, if any? 

I’m so glad you think it’s thought-provoking; I did hope to create that sort of work. I was led to write it out of a promise to myself to take my writing seriously, and to learn, learn, learn all I could about how to tell a story—and to finish one!
 

What character do you identify with the most in Redheart? Why?

I’m sure all the characters have a bit of me in them, somewhere, or chunks of other people I’ve come across. But I’d have to say I identify pretty closely with Kallon Redheart, my main character. He and I share a lot of fears.

You picked a very interesting setting and time period for your series. Was it difficult to create this alternate world in your writing? Is there any particular reason you chose dragons as opposed to other mythical creatures?

I chose dragons for my story because that’s the way Kallon presented himself to me. It did take me a while to pull the world together. I had to come up with reasons for Kallon’s choices, the sort of culture that would make him have to choose, that sort of thing. The world filled in from there.

Are any of your characters or stories based on aspects of your own life?

There are definite snippets of experiences that my characters represent. Although I don’t often consciously write in my personal feelings or beliefs, I can usually spot them afterward.

What do you hope readers take away from your novel?

I have deep-seated convictions surrounding despair, and letting fear drive people into their “caves.” But dreams can be wings. Don’t give in, even when it seems the only option left. Fight to believe. Believing is flying.

Why did you choose YA literature as a starting point? Did you always want to write for this age group, or did it just happen?

I don’t feel as though I chose YA, exactly. But much of my work is themed with self-discovery and fortitude in the face of fear. What my characters battle within themselves, especially in Redheart, are closely identified with the challenges of a YA readership.

What is the writing process like for you? Do you have a special place that you like to write, or any special rituals that you go through before/during the writing process?

Some days my writing process is as natural as breathing, and the words come without having to wrestle them to the ground. Other days, oh, not so much. Lots of wrestling.

I must have tea. I like the scent of it, the warmth of it, the reminder with each sip that “this is my zone.” Where I choose to write has to adapt with my unpredictable days, but I do have a studio near the Historic Cooper-Young district in Memphis where I go as much as I can. I really do my best work there.

Do you have a playlist in mind for your novel? If so, what music would you recommend a reader listen to while reading?

I don’t have a particular playlist in mind, but while I’m writing, I have my Pandora going with my radio station called “Deuter Radio,” which is ambient, gentle music without lyrics. Since I write to that kind of play list, it might be a good choice for reading, as well!

Do you have a favorite author or novel that you recommend your fans read? What are you reading right now?

My favorite authors and novels! My goodness, I could take up another whole blog article. I love Dickens, Bradbury, Wyndham, Wells…but if I picked a starting place for a lover of characters with depth and the ultimate in thought-provoking, haunting stories, I’d recommend Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It’s so much more than the movies make it out to be. The novel is startling, wrenching, and utterly a masterpiece.

As Redheart is the first in a series, what can readers expect from the next novel, Sela, and the remaining books in the series?

With Sela, we’ll find more tension between dragons and humans as the next generation takes their place in the story. And in the final book, our dragon hunter, Jastin Armitage, comes to find himself hunted.

Do you have any plans for a new series at this time?

I don’t have any other series in the works, but I definitely have more novels! I’ve recently finished my historical time-travel tale with Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. And I have a few science fiction/romantic novel crossovers; one set in the American ‘60s, as well as modern day.

And of course I’m still BookTasting, which is matching up a custom-chosen tea companion to sip while reading a particular novel, to enhance the experience of both! It’s all about making reading a delicious vacation. I love taking my BookTastings on the road to conventions, book stores, and tea shops, but you can also read all about them on my website—including the perfect tea to read along with Redheart! It’s great fun.

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Jackie Gamber is an award-winning freelance editor, as well as award-winning author of the fantasy novel Redheart, available now through Seventh Star Press(www.seventhstarpress.com) and ebook at a special rate of $1.99!

A veteran of the USAF, she is now, among other things, a rosarian, a professional BookTaster, and an avid believer in imagination. Visit Jackie and her BookTastings on the world wide web at www.jackiegamber.com

Thank you Jackie!!! I am excited to have you on the blog and have really enjoyed getting to know more about you and your writing!

To read my review of Redheart, click HERE.

 

Redheart, by Jackie Gamber

From Goodreads: Enter the lands of Leland Province, where dragon and human societies have long dwelled side by side.  Superstitions rise sharply, as a severe drought strips the land of its bounty, providing fertile ground for the darker ambitions of Fordon Blackclaw, Dragon Council Leader, who seeks to subdue humans or wipe them off the face of the land.

As the shadow of danger creeps across Leland Province, a young dragon named Kallon Redheart, who has turned his back on dragons and humans alike, comes into an unexpected friendship.  Riza Diantus is a young woman whose dreams can no longer be contained by the narrow confines of her village, and when she finds herself in peril, Kallon is the only one with the power to save her.  Yet to do so means he must confront his past, and embrace a future he stopped believing in.

A tale of friendship, courage, and ultimate destiny, Redheart invites readers to a wondrous journey through the Leland Dragon Series.

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Seventh Star Press has been extremely gracious in giving me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review, and I couldn’t be happier to state that I just loved this book!  Gamber is a very talented writer, combining beautiful prose with an intriguing story about a world in which dragons and humans co-exist, though not harmoniously anymore.  I was intrigued from the very first chapter, and absolutely adored the narrative style Gamber employs in her writing, as the third person narration allows four separate stories to run simultaneously, leading up to their interconnections and beyond.  I really love that Gamber creates suspense and ends each chapter with a cliffhanger, making it impossible for the reader to put the book down.  Yet, the next chapter adds no respite as it changes to the story of another character, creating anticipation and more cliffhangers before the original character is brought back to the forefront.  It’s sheer genius—I read the entire novel in one sitting as I was that enamored with the characters and their plights; there was never any down time, and hence, no time for me to put it aside.  It created a real sense of mystery for me, and I highly enjoy when only bits and pieces of a story are revealed at a time…  I love novels like this! 

The story itself is very beautifully told, and Gamber does a phenomenal job creating personable characters and down to earth themes, all dealing with different aspects, such as social, psychological, feminist, archetypal, and philosophical issues.  I really enjoyed being able to analyze the characters and their actions on so many different levels, as that is what make a piece of literature excellent, in my eyes.  I was pleasantly surprised by the ending of the novel, and am eagerly awaiting the next installment of the series, set to release late this year.  Four stars!

Evie Bookish’s Huge 500 Followers Celebration Giveaway–International–ENDS 6/15

EVIE BOOKISH is having her Huge 500 Followers Celebration Giveaway – International!!!    ENDS 6/15

What can you win?  See below!

International Giveaway – wherever Book Depository ships!

THREE (yes, 3!!!) lucky winners.
Winner no 1 will get his/her choice of 3 BOOKS
Winner no 2 and Winner no 3 will get their choice of ONE BOOK

1) Clarity – Kim Harrington

2) The Iron King – Julie Kagawa

3) Hex Hall – Rachel Hawkins

4) City of Fallen Angels – Cassandra Clare

5) Paranormalcy - Kiersten White

6) Matched – Allie Condie

7) Wither  – Laura DeStefano

8) Zombies Don’t Cry – Rusty Fisher (*highly recommended!)

9) Angelfire – CA Moulton

10) Blood and Flowers – Penny Blubough

11) Born at Midnight – C.C. Hunter

12) Bumped – Megan McCafferty

13) Delirium – Lauren Oliver

14) Entwined – Heather Dixon

15) Fallen – Lauren Kate

16) Firelight – Sophie Jordan

17) Halo – Alexandra Adornello

18) Haunted – Joy Preble

19) Hunger – Jackie Morse Kessler

20) Hush, Hush – Becca Fitzpatrick

21) The Iron Witch – Karen Mahoney

22) Mermaid – Carolyn Kurgeon

23) My Fair Godmother – Janette Rallison

24) Steel – Carrie Vaughn

25) The Poison Eaters – Holly Black

26) This Girl is Different – JJ Johnson 

27) The Vespertine – Saundra Mitchell

28) WWW: Wake – Robert J. Sawyer

29) Girl in Translartion – Jean Kwok

30) The Gathering – Kelley Armstrong

31) The White Cat – Holly Black

32) The Goddess Test – Aimee Carter

To enter, click HERE