Thursday, July 27, 2017

5 stars! Static Mayhem by Edward Aubry #fantasy #magic

One of the most original story ideas I've ever read! Lots of fun, tension, and even a pixie. 5 star review - go get this book!

~ About the book ~
A year after the world was thrown into magical chaos, Harrison Cody takes part in an expedition to learn the cause.

What his team finds is an unfathomable enemy, who intends to finish what was started and wipe out every remaining survivor.

Harrison is the key to stopping it, but doing so will come with an unbelievable sacrifice, one he might not be willing to make.

~ My Review ~
I’ve read the original Mayhem book, as well as Prelude to Mayhem, which is book 1 in splitting the original into two parts. When I learned of this approach, I wasn’t sure it would make sense as I liked the original and change is hard for me! ;-) But I did enjoy seeing the characters and the new world more in-depth in Prelude.

Static Mayhem also did not disappoint. We learn just a bit more about the characters, their pasts, their personalities and the world is described in greater detail which is all great fun. This book is a bit darker, less of discovery, more a mission to possibly return the all the mayhem to boring normalcy (of course that would restore a lot of lives but sad to lose magic!)

The main character, Harrison, has some rough moments in this book. He transitions from an amusing, sometimes blundering, but very likeable guy to someone in a leadership role in a scary world with someone actively trying to wipe them out. Being thrust into this kind of difficulty is understandably hard, especially balanced with Harrison’s determination to save those he cares about, even if it means sacrificing himself.

As usual, Glimmer is my favorite character. I enjoyed learning more about her decidedly odd circumstance of being the only pixie left as well as just how powerful she might be. We don’t see as much of Dorothy and Mitchell in this book for logical reasons, but I thoroughly enjoyed the continuation of the story and can hardly wait for the next installment.

Static Mayhem is highly recommended, both for those who read the original and those who haven’t.


I received a copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

~ Purchase links ~

~ Previous book in the series ~













~ About the author ~


Edward Aubry is a graduate of Wesleyan University, with a degree in music composition. Improbably, this preceded a career as a teacher of high school mathematics and creative writing.

Over the last few years, he has gradually transitioned from being a teacher who writes novels on the side to a novelist who teaches to support his family. He is also a poet, his sole published work in that form being the sixteen stanza “The History of Mathematics.”

He now lives in rural Pennsylvania with his wife and three spectacular daughters, where he fills his non-teaching hours spinning tales of time-travel, wise-cracking pixies, and an assortment of other impossible things.

Monday, April 24, 2017

5* review of Subversion by @MelindaFriesen @ChapterXChapter #ya #dystopian #giveaway



~About the book~
Subversion (One Bright Future #2) by Melinda Friesen
Publication Date: August 31, 2016
Publisher:  Rebelight Publishing
“I surrender my days, my efforts, myself to the OneEarth Bank . . .”

After fleeing slavery, Rielle James burns with the desire to topple OneEarth Bank and end its enslavement of young people as Contracts. When she learns that her friend Nathan has been sold to a logging company where Contracts die or vanish without a trace, she assumes a false identity and becomes a slave again to help him escape.

Her act of subversion uncovers the horrific truth behind the OneEarth Bank’s role in Contract disappearances and its link to a global pandemic.

Can Rielle and Nathan escape and expose the truth before it’s too late?



~My Review~
One word review: Wow!

The details:
I enjoyed Enslavement, the first book in Melinda Friesen’s One Bright Future series, so jumped at the chance to review Subversion, book 2 even though I have started a business and my writing/reading world has diminished over the past year. Even though I enjoyed book 1, I did comment in my review that I thought Rielle, the main character, allowed things to happen to her, she wasn’t really taking the reins in her own rescue.

That thought is completely and instantly gone from the first pages of Subversion. Rielle is determined to rescue Nathan, a fellow Contract at the Banker’s house. He was supposed to help her escape in Enslavement, but when things go wrong, she escapes without him and he’s captured and sold into a very dangerous position at a logging camp.

Even though Rielle is now with Justin, nephew to her previous owner and supporter of ending the slavery setup, she can’t leave Nathan to die, so she conspires to be sent to the camp to rescue him. And Rielle’s rebel aunt finds a way to communicate with her and asks her to up the risk by finding out what secret the camp is hiding and why so many people are disappearing there.

Of course Nathan would rather she be safe rather than risk her life saving him, so the rescue starts on rocky footing. There is daily tension between her kitchen co-workers, the often injured loggers, and the brutal supervisors. Rielle doesn’t back down even when she should. I won’t give away the rest of the story, but the action and tension are non-stop, Rielle is a true hero through gut-wrenching twists. The ending is painful, because of course it’s not the end and book 3 can’t come soon enough.

The writing is top-notch, grammar and punctuation in good shape, the story excellent. 5 stars. Don’t miss this one – go read Enslavement to get the maximum enjoyment from Subversion and then deal with waiting for book 3 like me!

Link to Goodreads:

Purchase Links:
Buy Links:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | TBD | IndieBound

Link to Tour Schedule:

Giveaway Details:
  •         Two (2) winners will received a physical copy of Subversion by Melinda Friesen (US/Canada)
  • ·       Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of Subversion by Melinda Friesen (INT)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Other books in the series:
"One world. One currency. One bright future."

That's the promise made by OneEarth Bank after a global economic collapse--but only for those who accept the insertion of a commerce chip.

When Rielle's parents refuse to comply, government officials tear her family apart. As punishment for her parent's crimes, Rielle is forced into a Community Service Contract--a legalized form of slavery--and sold to a wealthy, abusive banker.

The Banker's secrets hold the key to Rielle's freedom, but will she risk prison or even death to escape and search for her family?




~About the author~
Melinda Friesen was born in Portland, Oregon. She attended school in Texas and met a vastly interesting Canadian man, who she allowed to drag her to his home in the wilds of Manitoba, Canada. Living in an igloo wasn't easy. Wait. She didn't actually live in an igloo, but that would make this story much more interesting.

Among her accomplishments are surviving -40 degree weather, gestating four human beings inside her body, and staying happily married to that Canadian man for over 20 years despite the weather conditions he's exposed her to. And she writes too!

Melinda Friesen writes short stories and novels for teens. Enslavement, a YA sci-fi/dystopian read, is her first published novel and the first book in the One Bright Future series. Her work has appeared in Freefall Magazine, the Metro News and the upcoming Forging Freedom II anthology. She was shortlisted in the Writers' Village International novel contest, spring 2014. Her short stories have placed in several contests including earning grand prize in the 2013 Central Canada Lit Fest short story contest.

Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest



Friday, January 27, 2017

Review of The Amaranthine Chronicles by Tiffany Shand #fantasy



~ About the book ~
Title: The Amaranthine Chronicles Box Set (3 Novellas)
Author Name: Tiffany Shand
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: January 25, 2017
Page Count: 203

Amazon:

Goodreads:

Follow the Tour to Read Reviews of The Amaranthine Chronicles:

~ The Novellas in the Box Set ~
Betrayed by Blood:
In a city of lies and deception, only one thing stands between chaos and justice. For centuries, a band of outlaws called the Amaranthine has kept the peace in Ormere and hidden in plain sight whilst the Order of Sorcerers spreads their deadly magic among the city’s inhabitants.

After losing her fiancĂ© in [a] bust gone wrong, Amaranthine Agent Kaylan Avilion returns home to discover that Elijah didn’t die but instead was changed by the twisted guards of the Order, who seek to find a dangerous artifact tied to Kaylan’s past and the murder of her family. When her sister goes missing and a foe from their past remerges, Kaylan knows she must save Freya before she’s poisoned by the very people who took Elijah away from her. But how will Kaylan react when she learns Elijah’s secret and can they come together to stop the Order’s plan in time?

Dark Revenge:
Darkness is sweeping through the city of Ormere as unnatural creatures stalk through the streets. People are dying and time is running out as a new evil threatens to take control of everything. The Amaranthine Order has been decimated leaving only a few of its people left to fight the coming terror.

Stunned by her sister Freya’s betrayal and plot to take over the city, Kaylan must do everything she can to find out what Freya plans to do when she finds an infamous book linked to the murder of their family. A book considered so dangerous that the last High Lord erased its location from history, the Amaranthine Chronicles are said to contain the darkest of all magics.

Kaylan is happy to finally have her ex-fiancĂ©, Elijah, back in her life but he’s not the man she once knew and loved. After being turned into a shapeshifter, Elijah struggles to control his inner beast and his lingering feelings for Kaylan.

Can Elijah and Kaylan come together to stop Freya and uncover the secrets of the book before it’s too late?

The Final Battle:
Darkness has claimed the city of Ormere and death has become a certainty for anyone stalking its empty streets. The government is in ruins and lawlessness ensues.

After their last encounter, Kaylan and Elijah barely managed to thwart her sister, Freya’s, latest attempts to find and use the elusive Amaranthine Chronicles. But in her desperation to receive ultimate power, Freya will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Even if it means destroying the last of her family.

Kaylan and Elijah must work on their fragile relationship and put their personal feelings aside to find the book and stop Freya before it’s too late. But with their allies growing thin, and a gang of ruthless shapeshifters close on their trail, will they finally find the book and stop Freya before time runs out? And will Kaylan have to make the ultimate sacrifice to save her city and the man she loves?

~ My Review ~
The Amaranthine Chronicles is set in an imaginative world of magic, mental powers, shapeshifters, and of course, the typical good guys and bad guys and really bad guys. The characters are well developed and it's clear what each are striving for. 

The main character, Kaylan, can fly, even carrying her wolf-form boyfriend, communicate with him and others mentally. Some of the other Amaranthine agents carry crystals and charms for instant transportation, creation of light, and other miscellaneous abilities that pop up when needed. 

Good thing for the flying ability or Kaylan and Elijah wouldn't be able to break into a mansion repeatedly by going through upper floor windows. While Kaylan tries to find her sister, the city is overrun with creatures that have been turned into shifters of some kind and are uncontrollable since they're recently turned. Virtually every Amarantine agent is killed except Kaylan and her group. Through the novellas, it's revealed to Kaylan that her memories have been altered and much of what she knows about her deceased father and sister is untrue. She and Elijah end up in several tense situations, barely escaping death.

I give the story concept and setting 3 stars and many people will enjoy it. However, for writers or people who like to pick books apart or have even a tinge of grammar Nazi in them, overall the book falls short with typos, missing words, half-edited sentences, punctuation issues, and many confusing pronouns. I give it 2 stars for writing as that's a hot button for me and will round the overall rating to 3 stars just in case I received an unedited copy. If you know the type of reader you are, you will either enjoy the series or experience some frustrations.

~ About the author ~
Tiffany Shand started writing short stories when she was a child. After doing a creative writing course in her teens, she discovered her love of nonfiction writing and is now a freelance writer and professional editor.

She writes both non-fiction for writers and fiction, and is the author of the urban fantasy Excalibar Investigations Series. When she’s not writing, you’ll usually find her reading.

Tiffany lives in Essex, UK with her family, two very spoiled cats and a hamster.






Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Review of Time Traveller's Resort & Museum by David McLain #sci-fi #fantasy


New Release by David McLain!
Title: The Time Traveller's Resort and Museum
Author Name: David McLain
Illustrator: Felix Eddy

Genre(s): Time Travel, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adventure, Romance, Comedy, Steampunk

Release Date: November 17, 2016

Publisher:  Mirror World Publishing 

Follow the Tour:

~ About The Time Traveller's Resort and Museum ~

“If you need to know men's secrets
Or if there's something you need to find 
If you want to see the dinosaurs 
Or the insides of your mind.
If you want to watch the earth begin,
Or see what the apocalypse will leave behind,
You need to thank Alice Anderson,
For Alice is the mother of time.”

That was how the rhyme went. Every time traveler knew it. Everyone that is, except of course, for Alice herself, since she hadn’t invented time travel yet. Since returning to London, Alice’s life has been turned upside down. She’s been accused of murder and lost her position in the scientific community. Her only ally in this journey is a strange man who seems to think that Alice may be about to open up a strange new world of possibilities, but is probably not telling her everything he knows.

~ My Review ~
The Time Traveller's Resort & Museum is quirky and a dirigible full of fun. Imagine not only that you could travel in time, but also slip into worlds where anything imagined was real. Sherlock Holmes, King Arthur, dragons. Well, not dragons. Maybe.

Alice's world is turned upside down when she returns to England for a presentation with longtime friend Malcom and then he suddenly turns up dead. And she's the prime suspect. Luckily strange people start popping up to help her get away. Away from the police, away from the whole timestream where Malcom was killed.

Fabulous! Time travel exists. But the craziest thing is that Alice learns that sometime in her future, she's the one who invented it! We follow her twisted path to that invention along with her pet triceratops, a handsome pirate, a circus clown, and a mysterious oriental woman who knows Alice is a murder suspect and seems to be following her through time.

This was a really fun story. The writing was quirky and mostly fun although the tendency for many scenes to end in a telling mode, explaining what would happen in the future didn't always sit well with me. Mostly personal preference though. 

The characters were well developed, descriptions excellent. And the illustrations which don't usually come with adult reads were cute and really added to the overall imagery. The book could use some more editing to correct a few typos and unfinished sentences but the story twists kept that from being a focus.

Recommended read and I'd certainly love to read a sequel! 4 stars  from me.

~ Read an Excerpt ~

“Hello,” Alice said, with a certain degree of reluctant enthusiasm.

“You sound American,” an annoyed voice on the other end of the line said.

Alice dropped her bag. “I've been in New York for three years,” Alice said. “You're lucky I don't sound like I'm from the Bronx.”

It was Alice's sister, Wendy, giving what by her standards was a remarkably warm and friendly greeting. “You're lucky I don't steal your passport while you’re here and force you to teach Electrical Engineering at the University of the Orkneys. Electrical Engineering, that's what you do, isn't it?”

“You do realize that I just spent an entire evening in a metal tube, sitting on a very small seat that appeared to have been made from rocks confiscated from terrorists at security?”

“Terrorists use rocks these days?”

“Well, they're harder to spot going through metal detectors, aren't they?”

Ending a sentence with a question apparently sounded appropriately British and Wendy seemed to ease up a little.

“How was the flight, then?” she asked.

“I believe I aged three years,” Alice answered, looking for the way to the exit. “Do you want to have a drink?”

“Is that a rhetorical question?”

“In America, it's considered polite to ask.”

“I believe that the University of the Orkneys has early tenure.”

Wendy took pride in her absolute loathing of all things American. She saw Alice's decampment to New York as nothing less than a complete betrayal.

“Would you mind if we met in at my hotel?” Alice asked, trying to sound as if this were a polite request and not a desperate plea.

“I don't know,” Wendy said. “There aren't going to be a lot of randy outer-space types there, are there?”

“It's an astronomy conference,” Alice insisted. “Not a Sci-Fi convention.”

There was the unmistakable sound of pursing lips on the other end of the phone. “What hotel are you staying at?” Wendy asked.

“The Kensington.”

Wendy thought about it. “I'll meet you, but let's meet somewhere else. There's a pub down that way that I've had my eye on.”

“Wendy–”

“I have to drive in all the way from Brixton. You can walk a hundred metres out of the hotel lobby.”

Alice sighed. She decided not to point out that in fact she had come quite a bit farther than hundred meters. “What's the name of the place?” she asked.

“The Gristle and Thorn,” Wendy said.

Alice spotted the word “EXIT” on the far side of the hall. “Couldn't find any place with a ghastlier name? Was the ‘Skull and Crossbones’ already booked?”

“Just meet me,” Wendy insisted, and for a moment, she did her best to sound kind. “I've missed you.”

It has been said that all journeys begin with a single step, and while it might seem that Alice's journey began all the way back at JFK, in actuality the first step of Alice's journey began with a decision. It was not a big decision, not the kind of thing that would strike a historian as a significant chapter in the decline and fall of the Western Empire, but for Alice Anderson, it was the equivalent of crossing the Rubicon. It was the simplest thing really – a choice of restaurants.

“The Gristle and Thorn it is,” Alice said, picking up her bag again and shuffling through the crowd.

Meet the Author:

David McLain is the author of the two novels: Dragonbait, and The Life of a Thief. His stories have been published in the anthologies Metastasis, Penny Dread II, and the Doctor Who Anthology Time Shadows, as well as over two dozen magazines. He has been featured on NPR's Off the Page and the History of England podcast. He lives in New York.

Connect with David McLain: 






Meet the Illustrator: 

Felix Eddy graduated Magnum Cum Laude from Alfred University. She is the author and illustrator of A Bestiary Alphabet, and has illustrated several book covers and children's books. You can find out more about her at www.felixeddy.com


Purchase Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING: 




AMAZON.COM: 

AMAZON.CA: 

KOBO: 

BARNES & NOBLE: 

Chapters.Indigo: 

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

5* review of Edward Aubry's Prelude to Mayhem #fantasy #sci-fi

Prelude to Mayhem (The Mayhem Wave, Book I)

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult, New Adult

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Date of Release­­: November 28, 2016


~ Description ~

On May 30, 2004, the world transformed. Nearly all signs of civilization vanished, leaving in their wake a bizarre landscape of wilderness, advanced technology and magic, and leaving Harrison Cody very much alone. After weeks of surviving in solitude, he hears a voice on the radio, beckoning him to cross a thousand miles of terrifyingly random terrain to meet her, and other survivors, in Chicago. Eager to find any remnants of humanity, he sets forth, joined by an unexpected—and inhuman—companion.

For Dorothy O’Neill, the end of the world means she will never finish ninth grade. On her own, she builds a home in the ruins of a strip mall, relying on her ingenuity and hard work to maintain some semblance of creature comforts. When another survivor arrives, he brings futuristic technology and stories of monsters he has encountered. Armed with this information, she takes a new interest in exploring her world, but she is not prepared for what awaits her, and the new arrival has brought his own set of problems.

On their separate journeys, Harrison and Dorothy begin to piece together what has happened to their world. Their questions have answers to be found in what remains of Chicago, and from the mysterious voice on the radio offering the hope that civilization can be rebuilt.

Goodreads | Amazon Audio | Coming soon!


~ My Review ~

There are two sections to my review, first for people who’ve never read Static Mayhem and second, for those who have and why they should also read Prelude to Mayhem.

If you haven’t read Static Mayhem, then you should definitely read Prelude to Mayhem now! This is a awesome story in which most of Earth’s population has disappeared, leaving behind an odd scattering of magical devices and creatures as well as futuristic human technology.

What would you do in such a world? Have fun, panic, search for other humans? Probably some combination of all these. Harrison takes the crazy event in stride, but as soon as he finds out there are other humans left (from a radio transmission in Chicago) he’s on a mission to find them. Even though it means a dangerous trek from the northeast US where roads suddenly end in cliffs.

Along the way, he meets other humans and also magical creatures along with finding out that something/someone wants him dead. He meets Dorothy, a brilliant teenager surviving quite capably on her own and a young boy who’s terrified of something, along with my favorite character, Glimmer, a pixie.

What awaits them in Chicago? Of course not everything in this tumbled world can be loving and beneficial. And even Harrison finds out he’s been affected by magic in a completely unexpected way. Prelude to Mayhem shows the reader how these characters will be capable of handling a lot. Hopefully enough.

I thoroughly recommend this book. It’s a fun read with extremely well developed characters in an unexpected world.

Now, for those who’ve already read Static Mayhem - no major spoilers if you haven’t - I still recommend reading Prelude to Mayhem. While it’s basically the first part of Static Mayhem, it has been updated and explores more details of Harrison and Dorothy’s personalities. The chapters are more balanced between the two POVs.

I think this will set the reader up even better for the remainder of the story in the new version of Static Mayhem which is the final part of the first story. But even better, I thought the development of Dorothy was much deeper and made me appreciate her even more as a main character. I’ve also read an early version of the sequel, Mayhem’s Children, and this version of the start of the story sets up that book even better.

Aubry’s writing is awesome, the editing is quite good. Definitely one of my top reads for the last couple years. 5 stars, highly recommended.


~ About The Author ~

Edward Aubry is a graduate of Wesleyan University, with a degree in music composition. Improbably, this preceded a career as a teacher of high school mathematics and creative writing.

Over the last few years, he has gradually transitioned from being a teacher who writes novels on the side to a novelist who teaches to support his family. He is also a poet, his sole published work in that form being the sixteen stanza “The History of Mathematics.”

He now lives in rural Pennsylvania with his wife and three spectacular daughters, where he fills his non-teaching hours spinning tales of time-travel, wise-cracking pixies, and an assortment of other impossible things.

 ~ Find Edward Aubry Online ~

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Celebration book #giveaway from Month9Books


Welcome to Month9Books Turns 4 Birthday Bash! We’re thrilled to share this celebration with you!

Here’s a quick note from Georgia McBride, owner of Month9Books!

“Month9Books is turning 4 this year, and I could not be happier. We are living proof that if you have a dream to write, create and inspire, you should follow that dream and let nothing keep you from realizing it. Thank you to all the readers, writers, agents, partners and friends who have made this possible. We write for you.

--Georgia McBride, Publisher and Owner of Month9Books”

Thanks so much for 4 awesome years! We look forward to celebrating #5 with you in 2017! We have something for everyone from every genre from Sci-Fi to Fantasy to Paranormal and Horror! As a thank you, we're giving away some well-loved books from 2015 and 2016. All paperback and hardcover winners must reside in the United States. International readers may receive only eBooks if they win.

Here’s a look at all of the books we have published through the years! 


Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes
Very Superstitious: Myths, Legends and Tales of Superstition
Praefatio (Praefatio, #1) by Georgia McBride
THE Undertakers: Secret of The Corpse Eater by Ty Drago
Fledgling (Dragonrider Chronicles #1) by Nicole Conway
Avian (Dragonrider Chronicles #2) by Nicole Conway
Fire in the Woods by Jennifer M. Eaton
The Perilous Journey of the Not-So-Innocuous Girl by Leigh Statham
Summer of The Oak Moon by Laura Templeton
The Undertakers: Last Siege of Haven by Ty Drago
The Artisans by Julie Reece
Into The Dark by Caroline Patti
Serpentine by Cindy Pon
Minotaur by Phillip Simpson
Nameless by Jennifer Jenkins
Ashes In The Sky (Fire in the Woods #2) By Jennifer M. Eaton
The Undertakers 5: End of the World by Ty Drago
The Requiem Red by Brynn Chapman
Emerge by Tobie Easton
There Once were Stars by Melanie McFarlane
The Paladins (The Artisans #2) by Julie Reece
Argos by Phillip W. Simpson
Traitor (Dragonrider Chronicles #3) by Nicole Conway
Rise by Jennifer Anne Davis
In The Shadow Of The Dragon King by J. Keller Ford
Hair In All The Wrong Places by Andrew Buckley
Genesis Girl by Jennifer Bardsley
Into The Light (Into The Dark #2) by Caroline Patti
un/Fair by Steven Harper
Operation Tenley by Jennifer Gooch Hummer
The Perilous Journey Of The Much Too Spontaneous Girl (The Perilous Journey of the Not-So-Innocuous Girl #2) by Leigh Statham
Sacrifice (Serpentine #2) by Cindy Pon
Clanless (Nameless #2 ) by Jennifer Jenkins
The Legend of The Pumpkin Thief by Charles Day
In The Beginning Anthology
Immortal (Dragonrider Chronicles #4)  by Nicole Conway

Giveaway Details:
A total of 13 winners will receive….
(1) Hardcover of SERPENTINE by Cindy Pon, US Only.
(1) Paperback of EMERGE by Tobie Easton, US ONLY.
(1) Hardcover of POPPY MAYBERRY: THE MONDAY by Jennie K. Brown, US Only.
(1) Paperback set of THE DRAGONRIDERS CHRONICLES by Nicole Conway, US Only.
(1) Paperback set of HAIR IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES by Andrew Buckley, POLARIS by Beth Bowland, and ARTIFACTS by Pete Catalano, US Only.
(1) Paperback set of THE UNDERTAKERS SECRET OF THE CORPSE EATER & THE UNDERTAKERS LAST SIEGE OF HAVEN, US Only.
(1) Paperback set of TWO AND TWENTY DARK TALES, THE REQUIEM RED by Brynn Chapman, FIRE IN THE WOODS by Jennifer M. Eaton, & RISE by Jennifer Anne Davis, US Only.
(3) Paperbacks of MINOTAUR by Phillip W. Simpson, US Only.
(3) International winners will receive a 5 eBooks of their choice from books listed above.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, October 9, 2016

5 star review of Wicked Path by Eliza Tilton #ya #fantasy

Title: Wicked Path
Author: Eliza Tilton 
Genre: YA Fantasy
Hosted by: Lady Amber's PR
Blurb:
In Wicked Path: Book Two of the Daath Chronicles brother and sister are forced to opposite sides of Tarrtainya on a fast-paced adventure where the wildlife isn't the only thing trying to kill them.
Three months have passed since Avikar defeated the Reptilian Prince, and he still can't remember his battle with Lucino. On the hunt for answers, he returns to the scene of the fight and discovers a strange connection between his family's dagger and the mysterious kingdom of Daath, and it seems only his distant father can reveal the truth behind it all.
Before Avikar can travel back home, Lucy assaults him in the market and forces him to flee to Nod Mountains--a place few dare to enter, and even less return from. With Raven and her childhood friend by his side, they must survive the treacherous journey through the pass with a vengeful Lucy hunting them. If they don't, they'll never see home again.
Jeslyn's new life in Luna Harbor is the perfect remedy for her confused and broken heart. But when a group of mercenaries kidnap her beloved Grandfather, interrupting her daily routine as his jewelry apprentice, she's forced to join forces with the one person from her past she tried to forget.
And his assistance comes with a price.
Yay, book 3 is here! Crimson Tides picks up where Wicked Path left off. We get three perspectives nicely woven through the story from Avikar, Lucino, and Jeslyn. All three are on separate missions with conflicting goals, so you know this will get tense!

It was nice to see Avikar struggle with his feelings toward fallen comrades, his father’s mysterious past, and his blooming love of Raven. Lucino’s character is also deepened, you have to root for him (most of the time!) even though he has the ability and possible intention to slaughter all humans. Jeslyn must decide the future she wants as well as take her own path to get there – and by the end of the book, she is just learning the implications of her choice, so there is more to come for all three characters, which I’m glad to see.

There was a plot twist near the end that some people won’t like and it made me sad. But then all the more determined to know how the story continues.

This sequel is definitely worth reading. The writing is good and Ms. Tilton’s fight scenes are quite exciting. And if you haven’t read it, you should check out the short story Deadly Dance, which throws a fun twist in showing how Lucy and Derrick ended up together in Crimson Tides.

Well done, 4.5 stars, rounding to 5.
Eliza graduated from Dowling College with a BA in Visual Communications. When she’s not arguing with excel at her day job, or playing Dragon Age 2, again, she’s writing. Her stories hold a bit of the fantastical and there’s always a romance. Her YA Fantasy series, The Daath Chronicles, is published by Curiosity Quills Press.
Author Links:
Buy Links:
Broken Forest: http://amzn.to/1Tzv6ar
Crimson Tides: http://amzn.to/1rSWmd9
Deadly Dance: http://amzn.to/2dowHCZ
Our ship was gone, leaving us alone in an empty sea. Out here with nothing but calm water, I felt deserted; terrified. All those mornings I’d wished to venture out into the sea, to explore its beauty and splendor, I had no real understanding of the danger. How easily it was to be lost—and what about the creatures? We had no weapons, and if a shark attacked, how would we survive?
I wrapped my arms around my sides, praying and wishing this was all a horrific dream—that Grandfather was safe in his bed, snoring, and none of this was real.
Because if it wasn’t a dream, I was going to die.