Friday 17 November 2017

Book Blitz: Enchant by Micalea Smeltzer!

Enchant
by Micalea Smeltzer
(The Enchanted Series #1)
Publication date: November 17th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
      Mara Pryce never imagined that her life was anything but normal and then a strange gray-eyed young man appears at her graduation. When he vanishes without a trace, she’s convinced he’s a figment of her imagination. Then he appears again and shatters her whole world.
      Mara is an enchanter, part of an ancient line of Wiccan power, and a war is raging—one of good and evil—between the Enchanted and the Iniquitous.
       The Iniquitous want her dead and it’s Theodore’s job as her protector to keep her safe.
When Mara and Theodore arrive at a safe house, where Mara will remain hidden while learning about her powers, they find that the real threat might be a little closer to home than they want to believe.

Author Bio:
      Hi. I’m Micalea. Ma-call-e-uh. Weird name, I know. My mom must’ve known I was going to be odd even in the womb. I’ve written a lot of books. Like a lot. Don’t ask me how many, I don’t remember at this point. I have an unhealthy addiction to Diet Coke but I can’t seem to break the habit. I listen to way too much music and hedgehogs have taken over my life. Crazy is the word that best sums up my life, but it’s the good kind of crazy and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

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Tuesday 14 November 2017

This Heart of Mine by C.C. Hunter (Review)

     Leah is a dying girl. Her heart is dead and she is running on borrowed time. One day she is blessed by the gift of a heart transplant that gives her something she has not had for a long time, hope for a future. The only struggle is that for her to have life, somebody else had to lose theirs. When the history of her gifted heart comes into light, she must face its past, her past and her future to truly move on to live into the future. All the while a romance between her and Matt, a boy whose life is intrinsically entertained with her's, begins to grow and flourish. 
      I really found this story touching. This Heart of Mine is different from CC's usual work, but it did have a similar theme of confronting death and avenging injustices on the dead that can be found in all of her other works. Leah is a sweet girl. She is a sweet girl in an incredibly terribly hard situation that people actually have to deal with all throughout the world. It really put some of their fears, struggles and experiences into focus and gives the reader a new outlook on life. This serious tone is also mixed in with a sweet and adorable romance that entertains the reader, leaving me recommending the novel. I give This Heart of Mine FOUR AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!!!
*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Thursday 2 November 2017

One Foot in the Grave (Mortician’s Daughter #1) by C.C. Hunter (Review)

       A wonderful new series by C.C. Hunter, One Foot In The Grave keeps the theme of being able see ghosts found in the Shadow Falls series. Riley can see dead people (lol). Being able to see ghosts definitely doesn't make life easy for her as she tries to balance checking if her father is an alcoholic, friends, school and trying to remain happy and sane. After seeing a handsome young man/ghost, she has to add keeping herself from falling in love with a dead man onto that list. As she tries to bring justice to a young woman's ghost, the young man and her grow closer, even if they could not be any farther apart.
        I love a lot of C.C. Hunter's writings, and I enjoyed One Foot Under as well. It was a really good weekend read. It was nothing too meaty, but it was a fun binge read and was very entertaining. Although this was not my all-time favourite novel by her, I found it was still very much worth the read. Riley is a spunky and determined main character. She was well rounded but vague enough I feel like many young women could empathize and feel engaged with her. I found the romance to not be overly overwhelming, but it was quite sweet. There were many similar elements in this to the Shadow Falls series, and fans of one will probably like the other. I personally loved One Foot Under as a binge read and give it the rating of FOUR AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!!!
*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Counting Wolves by Michael F. Stewart (Review)

       Depressing but thought provoking, Counting Wolves keeps the reader unsure of reality as the main character struggles to hold back the evil realm of the Dark Wood that wants to destroy everything. Now locked up in the mental ward, the evil Wolf increases its stalking and gets closer then ever to destroying Milly. With her in the ward are many other fairytale themed psychos: Tink, Red, Pig, Wolf and Vanet. As the struggle continues, Milly struggles to figure out what is real, and what is all in her head. 
         An interesting study of the psychology of anxiety, Counting wolves was not what I had been expecting. I came in thinking it would be a novel about magic and fairytales, mixed with an aspect of psychological thriller to it where the world is calling the main characters crazy. I was very wrong. It is actually an in depth look at what it can feel like to suffer from anxiety and other mental illnesses and it was just given a fairytale themed twist. Even though it was not what I thought it was, I actually ended up enjoying and appreciating it. It kept me guessing along with the main character, what was real and what wasn't, as well as gave good analogies to the dread and fear that comes with extreme OCD and anxiety. It gave me perspective. That aside, it was incredibly depressing to read and took me a while to get through for that very reason. Overall, it was not what I expected, but I was not bad. I give it the honest star rating of FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS!!!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Fanning The Flames (Going Down in Flames #4) by Chris Cannon (Review)

         The fourth book in the Going Down in Flames series, Fanning the Flames continues the political drama from the previous novels. Bryn is a dragon. She is a hybrid dragon that is the grandchild of one of the most politically powerful and rich dragons in their entire society. With rebel uprisings comping left and right, she must fight for the lives of her friends, as well of herself. She doesn't have to do this alone though since she has her handsome knight to work alongside her... or riding her back. That and with the  politics of the dragons worked being hostile, she has a lot to handle. 
          I was not a fan of Fanning the Flames. This series has really been going down hill with constant relationship drama and little real back bone in the main character when it comes to her life. For multiple books she has bent over backwards to do what her grandparents tell her, even when it actively makes her miserable and ruins her chances of a happy future. Its ridiculous and agitating to read. I just want to slap some sense into Bryn. I think I'm done with this series. I don't want to read through more of her petty drama and weak backbone. Overall, I give Going Down in Flames the rating of THREE OUT OF FIVE STARS!!!
*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Sun Warrior (Tales of a New World #2) by P.C. Cast (Review)

        The second instalment in the Tales of a New World series, Sun Warrior takes off immediately off of where Moon Chosen left off. With the forest on fire and many falling to its flames, good and evil rise to take over. The Skin Stealers plot their take over of the dying tribe of tree and the Earth Walkers plan their new lives as a freed people. Mari is thrust back into the responsibility of saving not only herself, but all of the Earth Walkers and a good piece of the Tribe of Trees as well. Nik, still devastated by the loss of his father, pushes on with the hope of a new beautiful life with Mari and their companions. But Thaddeus's evil is spreading, and that dream is becoming less and less likely.
         I surprisingly loved this book, even more then Moon Chosen. The series seems to get its own two feet in this novel and really hits the ground running. All of the pieces that were being set up start to fall into place in Sun Warrior. I had found the constant narration from Dead Eye to be unappealing and it felt almost pointless, but in Sun Warrior it all comes together and leaves the reader fully engaged. My favourite part of the novel was actually the conclusion because it left me looking forward to the potential of the next novel in the series. Overall, I loved Sun warrior and give it the rating of FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!!!
*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Wednesday 1 November 2017

Ally (Nemesis #2) by Anna Banks (Review)

        The second instalment in the Nemesis series, Ally takes off from where Nemesis left off. Trying to stop a war that would kill so many innocent people, Sepora and Tarik must work together, despite their rough history to save everybody. While this is happening, Tarik is trying to find any way to get both his kingdom and the heart of Sepora. Sepora is trying her best to cure the disease plaguing Tarik's kingdom, without revealing her powers, making herself a powerful and dangerous target.
        Ally was good, but not amazing. I found it was fun to read with its magic and many realms, but it definitely did not have the same spark as book one did. I still really like Sepora. She is a determined, intelligent and generously kind hearted. Tarik was also a good character, but again he was just not as intriguing as he was in the first novel. The plot of this novel kept to a pretty steady pace, but there were not many twists and turns to spice things up throughout the novel. That was prominent in the first novel. We just kept learning new exciting things everywhere throughout the story, but in Ally there were less new plot developments or magical moments. Although there was one really exciting and big plot twist that was engaging to read. Overall, I did like Ally and give it the rating of FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS!!!
*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Book Blitz: Winter's Siren by Krystal Jane Ruin!

 
Winter’s Siren 
by Krystal Jane Ruin
Publication date: November 1st 2017
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
     For the last five years, Fawn has been the star soprano of a secluded opera house, forced to sing for her kidnapper.
     His daughter, Devi, waits patiently in the shadows, hiding a face so horrible that no one who’s seen it will look at it again.
      As Fawn plots her escape, whispers spread through the shaded corridors of dark sorcery, warning her that she must flee by the next opening night.
      But when Fawn draws close to the exit, it’s Devi who’s standing in her way, leading Fawn to suspect that Devi has something to gain if she fails.
(a dark reimagining of Swan Lake)


EXCERPT:
     Frosty air nips at my nose. I stand almost knee deep in fresh fallen snow, letting the diffused sunlight hit my face. There is no sound. Peace settles over me. In this moment, I truly feel like I’m in the middle of nowhere.
     Something cold and wet explodes on the back of my neck. For a moment, I fear the worst. A boil. Pus. My father’s description of my mother’s face plays out in my mind.
     But then I hear Andrew laughing behind me. I touch the rough skin on my neck and bring a shaky and damp glove to my face. Snow. It’s just snow.
     It’s the middle of the day, and my face is uncovered. To make everything worse, it’s bright outside. Freezing and overcast, but bright.
     My hands fly to my face automatically.
     “Are you going to let me get away with that?” Andrew laughs again.
     I twist around and peek at him through my fingers.
     He stands before me, his arms spread wide. A thick coat covers his arms, and in his gloved hands, he holds another snowball. “You have two seconds to stop me!”
     I flip my hood over my head and drop down to gather snow in my hands.
    Another snowball bursts against my head. The wetness plasters my hair to my face. I hurl my deformed ball in his direction. It misses him completely.
     Another wad of snow lands on my neck while I gather a larger, rounder ball of snow. “Cheating!” I throw my handful at him. It lands weakly by his knees.
    “Here, let me help you.” He climbs towards me and gathers a nice, solid ball in his fist. He hands this to me, and then stands back and spreads his arms wide again. “Try again.”
I throw it square at his nose.
     “Ow!” He covers his face and cries out dramatically. “It’s in my eyes!”
     “Stop it! Are you serious?” I navigate closer to him, and he falls back into the snow. I run to his side and hear laughter bubbling out from behind his hands. “Jerk!” I shovel snow over his body, and he laughs all the while.
     Then he goes still. I stop.
     “Andrew?” I lean in close. “Andrew?”
    He lunges out of his shallow grave and tackles me to the ground.
    A panicked scream leaves my body as he lands on top of me, heavy and warm. Then a strange sound comes out of my mouth. Something that’s never come out of it before. Laughter.
    His braid hangs down, inches from my sunken cheek. Suddenly aware of how close his head is to mine, the laughter dies in my throat, and I slap my gloves to my cheeks.
    “You have such beautiful eyes,” he says.
    My breath is trapped in my chest. It hurts. I don’t know how much he can see of my face—my hood is pulled low and my hair and hands cover everything else—but I fear it’s too much.
    “Andrew . . .”

Author Bio:
    Krystal is the author of supernatural and paranormal fiction, living in the Tennessee Valley with a collection of swords and daggers. When she's not hoarding stuffed pandas, hourglasses, and Hello Kitty replicas, she can be found in YouTube hole or blogging about books, writing, and random things at KrystalSquared.net. 


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