Blogtour Excerpt from Thunderlight by Adrienne Woods!

Excerpt:
  SUMMER WAS ALMOST over but everyone’s spirits were high as Sammy searched for something in her room. I had recently arrived at the Leaf’s after spending the first weeks of my vacation with Becky. Sammy was in rare form this evening as she bounced off the walls of the room with barely contained excitement.
  Elena, cheer up! We’re going to the Warbel games and I know it sucks that Lucian won’t be there, but I promise, you’re going to enjoy it, okay.” Sammy spoke fast as I moved out of the way of one of her shirts as it sailed toward me.
  “Sammy, it’s not like I’m trying to be like this, I just really miss him …” my lips puffed out a breath. “Tell me again why the Warbel games are so mind-blowing.” I tried to change the subject away from Lucian. He was still away on a hunting trip with his father and the girls had decided the best way to brighten my mood was a sport that basically sounded like Greek warfare. I still had no clue what the Warbel games were about even after Sammy tried to explain it to me as she searched for the jersey of her favorite team. It sounded exciting as words like soldiers, attackers and scorers made it into her lengthy explanation.
  “Because it’s the Warbel games,” she simply said.
  The only thing I retained was that Warbel was some sort of dragon and human sport that they loved to play on this side of the wall. She also said that Dragonia had a similar game at the beginning of each school year, but it wasn’t as dangerous as the real one. I became even more confused when she started talking about raiders and incantations and couldn’t figure out how all of it came together.
  Guess I’ll have to see it before I can really understand what it’s all about.
  “The one thing you need to understand is that the game we are going to tonight is really dangerous,” she added as she continued to tear apart her closet, “and that the humans who participate are extremely well developed magic wielders, for their own safety as much as winning the game.”
  Okay, awesome. I thought sarcastically as I still had no clue what the Warbel games were about.
Sir Robert had gotten five tickets for all of us from a friend who couldn’t make tonight’s game.
  Lucille, Becky’s mom, had also gotten tickets for her, Becky and George, so we were all going to the game together.          
  I had spent the first three weeks of my vacation with Becky and Lucille. Lucille was not a typical mother, but was the most selfless person I’d ever met. She also seemed way too young to be Becky’s mom and looked more like Becky’s older sister. She hated it when I called her Mam or Mrs. Johnson, and insisted that I called her by her first name. She was a lot like Becky in a sense, they shared the same type of fashion choices and clever comments, but she also had a love of art, which Becky didn’t have. That part connected with me one hundred percent.
  Becky and her mother lived in the totally opposite neighborhood of the Leafs, and they had more money than I could even dream of. I guessed it was why Becky was a bit of a brat. Staying with them made me realize what type of a person she could be sometimes. Having all that money made Becky bossy and turned her into someone I never thought I would be friends with. But the thought of not having her around to give me her two cent comments, especially when I didn’t ask for them, was unthinkable. She was also one of the bravest and fiercest girls I knew and the best friend, apart from Sammy, a girl could ask for.

Bonus Excerpt:
  ANGER, BETRAYAL, AND HATE turned my stomach to acid. It consumed my mind and I watched as bottles, papers and books on the desk flew off and crashed to the floor.
  A maid rushed to my side. She didn’t say anything, but her eyes reflected fear in their watery depths. The dustpan in her hand trembled as she started to sweep up the jagged shards of glass. Rising, she began to straighten the books that had fallen to the floor in a heap. Every few seconds her eyes darted nervously in my direction as if a mere breath would make me lash out at her with my outstretched hand.
  I touched her face gently until my hand reached her neck, tightening slowly as my anger began to rise once again. My grip tightened around her soft, shapely neck as I lifted her up from her position at my feet until her face was level with mine.  Listening carefully I heard her heart fluttering like a bird trapped inside a cage.
  “How did I become this way?” I spoke, giving voice to my reality softly.
  She just stared at me with round, brown unblinking eyes. Her eyes were sunken deep into the surface of her face and her cheek bones were sharply defined.
  Looking at her sullen face made me feel worse.  I lifted up my other hand and struck the woman hard across her cheek.
  A cry left her mouth and I threw her from me as if she weighed nothing. She skidded across the floor landing in a heap against a wall of cold, unforgiving stone.  If I was a dragon I would blast fire, reduce this wretched place to a pile of insignificant ashes.
  Two other maids, hearing the startled cry, rushed into the room. Their eyes were wide as they took in the room and the immobile heap near the far wall. “Sorry, m’lord,” the older one said, her voice slightly trembling. “She’s new, we will train her better.”
  They picked up the maid who had come to and was sobbing. She clutched the side of her face, covering the huge, red handprint where I’d struck her.
  I nodded. The old maid knew her place well, although I still didn’t care for her name, she knew where she stood.
  I plunged myself down onto the chair and closed my eyes. A silent roar growled inside of me lighting a fire of rage deep in my core.
  The girl had made it.
  The Rubicon saved her life, so a part of him was still fighting me. I could still see her eyes searching mine. They bore into my soul, seeking answers. How was this possible! The wall wouldn’t allow any human to go to the other side.
  Albert’s laughter echoed inside the castle; a startling reminder that good would always win. He would pay dearly for this. I would find a way, and I promised myself she wouldn’t live much longer.
  I pushed myself up from the chair and rubbed my face hard. The emotion of my anger escaped my lips making a sickening sound. Rage that emanated from deep within me overpowered the haunting laughter and echoed throughout the entire castle.
  “Master,” Cain’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
  “Speak, my loyal servant,” I said out loud. “What is the news?”
  “Everything is in place. We won’t fail you,” his voice said in my head.
  I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and let it out hard. “We’ll see.”

Getting to Know the Authors: Featuring Adrienne Woods!

Bio

  Adrienne Woods was born and raised in South Africa, where she still lives with her husband and two beautiful little girls. She always knew she was going to be a writer, but it only started to really happen about four years ago. In her free time―if she gets any because moms don’t really have free time―she loves to spend it with friends, whether it’s a girl’s night out, or just watching a movie. She’s a very chilled person. Her writing career started with Firebolt, book one in the Dragonian series. There will be four books in total, including a further two to three books, which will be stories that take place within the Dragonian series. Her other series, Dream Casters, will be released mid-2015. She also writes in different genres, and her woman’s fiction, The Pregnancy Diaries, will be published under a pseudonym. And then, she has a paranormal series by the name of the Aswang series, which will consist of about ten novels. And if that wasn’t enough, there is another series, Guardians of Monsters, which will be released in 2016.

What has She Written?

She has written:

Firebolt (The Dragonian, #1), Thunderlight (The Dragonian Series #2), Frostbite (The Dragonian Series #3) and Light (Dream Casters, #1)

Now on to the Interview!

1) How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion?

About thirteen, it was short stories, then I was really good at those, but now, I struggle with them as I have way too much to say. But it only became a full time hobby at the age of 29.

2) What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works?

Life experience. It’s not very open, but the readers grow with Elena in this series, she makes horrible mistakes and has to deal with the consequences, still she find a way to work through them and move on with her life. They experience first love, a stronger love, and how to stand up to others, well they will when this story is over, what friendship should be like, and how someone should treat them.

3) What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer?

Imagination, the love of research as you do need to do some research for your novels, and patience, self-motivation.

4) What is your favourite novel, why?

I have so many but if I have to choose one, Safe Harbour from Nicholas Spark. That novel is so powerful, as the main character has a horrible abusive relationship with her husband, how she finally got out of it by leaving him after a horrible incident and how wonderful a man can be if they have love in their heart and respect. She overcame her fears at the end and it’s everything a book should have in my opinion.

5) Who is your favourite author, why?

I have many but Nicholas Spark is one of my ultimate favorites.

6) What are your favorite pass times besides writing?

Reading, spending time with family, and watching my favorite T.V series. I love to watch stand-up comedy too, you need to laugh at least once a day.

7) Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most?

I got it from both sides, my family is extremely artistic. My father was a great story teller yet he never penned down any of them which is sad as he had the most amazing children stories he used to make up about fairies and small people. I literally hung on his lips as a child. My grandmother was extremely talented when it came to poems, so yes, I got it from both sides of the family.

8) What are the top five things on your bucket list?

To take my family on an overseas cruise

To visit the seven wonders of the world

To see my daughters getting married

Learn how to Ski

Go sky-diving

9) To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be?

Stay as young and innocent as you can, I know it’s not always easy as group pressure is so hard in today’s life, make good decisions, the bad ones you do make, deal with them, learn from them and never make them again. Read more as your imagination is all you have when it comes to escaping today’s reality. Be you, don’t ever try to be anybody else and remember what Walt Disney said, if you can dream it you can do it. I still live by that today.

The Corridor (The Corridor Series #1) by A.N. Willis (Review)

   In The Corridor, there are multiple dimensions and universes, and the main character Stel Alaster can open portals to them all on her own. When her world is threatened by the potential creation of a new Corridor, which could cause a second Pulse and kill everyone; she is forced on an adventure with two 'other dimensions' inhabitants.
   Very intense and thrilling, The Corridor takes the reader on an adventure through dimensions and parallel worlds. I found The Corridor to be interesting and pretty creative in it's concepts and story telling. Also, I found myself very emotional when it came to the father. His character was very kind, yet such a workaholic I found myself very frustrated with him.
    I loved the romantic interest in this novel, with his intelligence and strength... and general hotness; but I struggled with his moodiness. To top that off, I was bothered how they just made the other guy kinda just disappear from the story. I found it abrupt and a little lazy. (I specifically did not use names to prevent spoilers)
  I liked Stel as a character. She is loving, strong, intelligent and resourceful. Plus, her powers were pretty awesome. Her ability to open portals between her hands, where ever she is leaves a lot of opportunity for awesome plot twists and turns in future novels. I am interested to see where this series goes and give The Corridor FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

First World (Walker Saga #1) by Jaymin Eve (Review)

  In First World, the reader is transported into an apocalyptic New York ridden with gangs and mystery. Raised in a rebel school, Abigail Swish and her best friend Lucy are trained to fight and survive. After encountering a strange man in an alley, Abby and Lucy are thrown into the world of magic, aliens and soulmates.
  I love the characters in this novel. They are all diverse, loyal and funny in their own way. The best friends, Lucy and Abby, are brave and flexible when it comes to such a drastic change in their lives. Lucy is a fabulous character that I loved reading about her spunky and funny personality. She is so loyal to Abby it's heart warming and awesome. On top of the characters, I loved the plot and the atmosphere of First World. I found the imagery to be crisp and new. First World is a unique story, which rocks. I can't wait to read the rest of the series and see where the author takes us.
    I loved First World and most definitely recommend it. It's a unique and fun experience of a read. I give First World FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!

Ted Saves the World (Ted Saves the World #1) by Bryan Cohen (Review)

   Starting right off the bat with introducing Ted, one of the most awkward characters I have ever encountered in a novel in my entire life. I found the geeky-ness and awkwardness of Ted to be comedic and new. Ted has to be the most socially awkward hero I have ever run into. I found that Ted Saves the World to be a little too chopped up between perspectives. It jumped from character to character, not giving the reader opportunity to settle and connect to a character. On top of that I found the narrative voice to be bland and uninteresting.I had a hard time keeping myself engaged in this novel. I noticed I would easily be drawn away from the story.
  I like the concept of a nerdy boy saving the day from planetary destruction and all but I felt like the villains themselves were not given enough personality and backstory to be effective in making it seem like the world was in danger from them in the first place. Ultimately, I didn't enjoy Ted Saves the World and give it the rating of ONE STAR OUT OF FIVE!

The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker (Review)

   The Witch Hunter is a riveting tale of a witch hunter named Elizabeth who gets sucked into a world of subterfuge, danger and magic. Raised to hate, hunt and kill witches, her world is drastically flipped on it's axis when she is arrested and sentenced to burn on the stake... under the charges of the witchcraft she loathes.
   The Witch Hunter is an engrossing story that held my attention from the beginning to the end. I loved the depth and intensity of the story. Elizabeth and John are my favourite characters by far. Couple them with the court fool, the story had a perfect mix of characters that balance each other off. I found the plot to be well thought out and well written. I kept finding myself engaged and invested in the story and the lives of the characters. Witch Hunter is action packed and leaves room for the imagination to blossom.  Overall I loved The Witch Hunter and recommend it. I give The Witch Hunter the rating of FOUR AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Evolution: HEX (The Evolution #3) by Starla Huchton (Review)

   As the third and final instalment of the Evolution series, Evolution: Hex is the conclusion of the adventures of Candace Bristol. Captured by HEX Candace is thrown into a new adventure with it's own challenges and dangers.
   I really enjoyed Evolution: HEX. I feel like it was the best book in the entire series, which is truly rare. I have not read many series that just got better further you get into it. I felt Evolution: HEX is the most productive book in the series when it came to story telling, and on top of that had the best plot.
   Once again, the romance was on point and carried well from Evolution: SAGE. I love the romantic interest Jackson. He is complex and full of surprises. He is also just such a sweet heart... and his fire bending is cool as heck. Speaking of powers, Candace's powers of water bending just get even more epic in this novel.
  The characters in this novel are very well developed by this book, and that very much improves the overall quality of the novel. In addition to the development of the characters, the relationship dynamics were also well done. Candace has a unique connection/relationship with every other character.
   Ultimately I really liked Evolution: HEX and give it the high rating of FOUR AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!