Strange In Skin by Sara V. Zook Review 

Title – Strange In Skin
 Series – Strange In Skin – Book #1
 Author – Sara V. Zook
 Genre – Paranormal, Fantasy
 Publication Date – July 24, 2012
 Publisher – Imagine Press 
 Cover Artist – Brenda Grate

 BLURB:
From the moment Anna James meets the strange prisoner Emry Logan, she becomes instantly obsessed and will stop at nothing to try to get another interaction with him. But going against her family and church aren’t without consequence. She is deemed a traitor as she quickly realizes that there’s more to Emry’s past than just murder. He has a special ability that is far from human that he only shares with her. Feeling this magical connection, Anna has to free her beautiful inmate so that they can be together finally, but someone else knows about Emry’s secret and wants Anna to stop digging for answers as she finds herself in the midst of a modern day witch hunt. The life of an innocent pastor’s kid suddenly is turned upside down in a war between good and evil as Anna begins to wonder which people in her life are on the side of good, and is she one of them. 


 Review: 
 When we first meet Anna she seems… well, dull. She is a good Christian girl ( which there is nothing wrong with), She works at her mothers antique shop and lives at home with her parents in a small , quiet town. The thing I didn't really relate to was her still living at home in her twenties. She didn't go to college? Didn't want to explore what the world has to offer? She just stayed home and started working in her moms shop. It seemed kind of odd to me, but that could simple be a personal opinion. 

 The story picks up quickly around chapter three when Anna starts receiving letters from Emry, but some of the romantic elements seem a bit over the top. This connection between the Anna and Emry happened a bit too quickly I think. The supernatural element flowed well with the story line and seemed natural. I liked that this story was a bit different from most, and how the girl is trying to save the boy instead of the other way around and how it was not your everyday Paranormal. I found it very refreshing. 

 Anna changes in many ways over the course of this story but I think most of these changes are for the better and I now realize why the author decided to show her the way she did in the beginning of the book. Toward the end Anna finally grows a pair and handles Buck, which I really enjoyed because, well obviously… 

The ending of this book left a lot of unanswered questions, I am still not sure I really understand where it is Emry goes, All in all I enjoyed Strange in Skin and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.


http://www.amazon.com/Strange-In-Skin-Sara-Zook/dp/1478277556/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387462303&sr=8-1&keywords=strange+in+skin


http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15772328-strange-in-skin

 ** Also a special thanks to Sarah for allowing me to participate in her blog tour and My Family’s Heart Book Reviews for handling all the hard work setting everything up.** 


 More About Sara:

 AUTHOR BIO
Sara wrote her first book at age six. Of course, it was only a few pages, handwritten by a 6-year-old and was about kitty cats. As a child, some days she would be out venturing in the woods with her older brother and cousins, but sometimes would stay inside and create stories, write them down in a notebook and then pretend to publish them by typing them up on her mother's old typewriter. "I know, what a weird child I was." From then on out, Sara didn't want to be anything but a writer. When others would ask her classmates what they wanted to be when they grew up, some would say the usual things, singers, veterinarians, astronauts, but not Sara. Sara would say writer, and then she'd get a strange stare. Writer? What child says they want to be a writer? Sara graduated from United High School in 2000, a small school out in the country where everyone knew each other from kindergarten up and could tell you every little detail about each other and still can. "It was a nice area to grow up, and I love going back." In 2004, Sara graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown with a bachelor's in, you guessed it, creative writing. She had such a blast in college, met some of the greatest people that Sara still remains in close contact with along with her husband, Brad. They were married and had two children back to back, so while Sara was in "mommy land," her writing was put on the back-burner. Sara started writing again in the summer of 2010, and after three months, 'Strange in Skin' became the product of her imagination. Sara had so much fun writing it, she couldn't stop. She would work all day and then stay up late at night typing up a few more chapters. She didn't want it to end, so Sara decided she would have to write more books to follow it. The main characters, Anna James and Emry Logan, were people Sara could relate to, that she loved to relate to. There's nothing quite like a sappy love story that's so good it sucks you in. You want them to be together. They have to be together and you can't stop reading until they are together. That with a little paranormal twist, and voila, a book is born. Then Sara and Brad became proud parents once again. Sara is still in "mommy land" but also Strange in Skin fantasy land. The mix of both raising children and writing makes for some pretty entertaining days. Sara could write a million stories on her kids alone, especially the things that come out of their mouths that you're either so shocked they said or are so funny that you can't stop laughing.

Title – Strange In Skin
Series – Strange In Skin – Book #1
Author – Sara V. Zook
Genre – Paranormal, Fantasy
Publication Date – July 24, 2012
Publisher – Imagine Press
Cover Artist – Brenda Grate

BOOK BLURBFrom the moment Anna James meets the strange prisoner Emry Logan, she becomes instantly obsessed and will stop at nothing to try to get another interaction with him. But going against her family and church aren’t without consequence. She is deemed a traitor as she quickly realizes that there’s more to Emry’s past than just murder. He has a special ability that is far from human that he only shares with her. Feeling this magical connection, Anna has to free her beautiful inmate so that they can be together finally, but someone else knows about Emry’s secret and wants Anna to stop digging for answers as she finds herself in the midst of a modern day witch hunt. The life of an innocent pastor’s kid suddenly is turned upside down in a war between good and evil as Anna begins to wonder which people in her life are on the side of good, and is she one of them.

BUY LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE | AMAZON PAPERBACK | GOODREADS

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Title – Evadere
Series – Strange In Skin – Book #2
Author – Sara V. Zook
Genre – Paranormal, Fantasy
Publication Date – December 18, 2012
Publisher – Imagine Press
Cover Artist – Brenda Grate

BLURBWhen Anna becomes separated from Emry, she has no other choice but to explore the foreign world of Evadere on her own. She soon discovers that it is tainted from a stirring turmoil among the people. Evadere has been a place of respite and escape from the difficulties of Earth for Anna and Emry, but alone on Evadere, Anna is pulled into the stirrings of an uprising between the Scaves and the ones who force them to live as scavengers. Anna is determined not to let the fear and attempts on her life stop her from finding her way back to Emry. But Anna is shocked when she discovers who Emry really is, the forces of evil supporting him and how the temptations in paradise have been misleading them both. It will take all the strength and determination Anna and Emry possess to survive Evadere, even as the killing starts ...

BUY LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE | AMAZON PAPERBACK | GOODREADS

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Title – Solace
Series – Strange In Skin – Book #3
Author – Sara V. Zook
Genre – Paranormal, Fantasy
Publication Date – September 29, 2013
Publisher – Planettopia Publishing
Cover Artist – Stephanie Fontecha

BLURB
Emry and Anna's love has always been forbidden. They've been hunted, seen those around them murdered and still don't know who to blame or who to trust. In a world where Anna is considered just a human, can peace be achieved between those inhabiting Evadere and those cast out and left for dead? They have to find out who is after them before it's too late, before one of the lives lost is their own, but are Emry's powers strong enough to save the one he loves? As their wedding day approaches, so does a war, and no one sees it coming.


BUY LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE | GOODREADS

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GIVEAWAY

2  $25 Amazon Gift Cards

1 Gift set of all 3 Books signed w/swag – US Only

CLICK HERE TO ENTER INTO THE AUTHORS TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

MEET SARA
Sara wrote her first book at age six. Of course, it was only a few pages, handwritten by a 6-year-old and was about kitty cats. As a child, some days she would be out venturing in the woods with her older brother and cousins, but sometimes would stay inside and create stories, write them down in a notebook and then pretend to publish them by typing them up on her mother's old typewriter. "I know, what a weird child I was." From then on out, Sara didn't want to be anything but a writer. When others would ask her classmates what they wanted to be when they grew up, some would say the usual things, singers, veterinarians, astronauts, but not Sara. Sara would say writer, and then she'd get a strange stare. Writer? What child says they want to be a writer?

Sara graduated from United High School in 2000, a small school out in the country where everyone knew each other from kindergarten up and could tell you every little detail about each other and still can. "It was a nice area to grow up, and I love going back."

In 2004, Sara graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown with a bachelor's in, you guessed it, creative writing. She had such a blast in college, met some of the greatest people that Sara still remains in close contact with along with her husband, Brad. They were married and had two children back to back, so while Sara was in "mommy land," her writing was put on the back-burner.

Sara started writing again in the summer of 2010, and after three months, 'Strange in Skin' became the product of her imagination. Sara had so much fun writing it, she couldn't stop. She would work all day and then stay up late at night typing up a few more chapters. She didn't want it to end, so Sara decided she would have to write more books to follow it. The main characters, Anna James and Emry Logan, were people Sara could relate to, that she loved to relate to. There's nothing quite like a sappy love story that's so good it sucks you in. You want them to be together. They have to be together and you can't stop reading until they are together. That with a little paranormal twist, and voila, a book is born.

Then Sara and Brad became proud parents once again. Sara is still in "mommy land" but also Strange in Skin fantasy land. The mix of both raising children and writing makes for some pretty entertaining days. Sara could write a million stories on her kids alone, especially the things that come out of their mouths that you're either so shocked they said or are so funny that you can't stop laughing.

STALKER LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOOGLE + | GOODREADS

WORD APOCALYPSE : Where The Wordy Things Will Eat Your Brains....

Let’s talk about NaNoWriMo.

For those of you who are not familiar with NaNoWriMo (or NaNo as I shall call it from this point on.) let me enlighten you.

NaNo takes place in November and it is a time when authors from all over the world join together in their fight for success.

The Goal : To write 50,000 words in 30 days.

Now being the aspiring author that I am, I thought to myself, “Self what better way to force your lesser half to make time for your writing and get those 50k words out.”

So I got my little notebook ready and made my little outline. I plotted and planned that last week in October and when November 1st rolled around,  I hit the ground running. I started moving my little fingers at midnight and by the time I went to bed that evening I was feeling absurdly satisfied with my word count of just a couple thousand. I spent the next few days writing and offering positive reinforcement to my friends and writer pals  who are partaking in this epic event as well.

I joined the NaNo chat forums and made all sorts of Nano buddies. I have tweeted my success and frustrations through the last fourteen days. I even went to the NaNo write - in’s at the local bookstore.

I put my life on hold and ceased all other projects, devoting my full attention to my NaNo project. I was dedicated and sure that if I put in the time I would reach my 50k and earn that self presented gold star. Time was but a small sacrifice for my work in progress, it was the least I could do for my sweet,sweet WIP.

GO TO HELL!

On this day, the 14th day of NaNo I say to thee WIP GO TO HELL!

I have reached the 22,077 word mark and at no small price. I have had to forego sleep many a time that I should have spent in slumber. I have forgotten meals and how to spell things like if and & the.  My characters are incessantly banging away on the inside of my skull screaming to be let out. I have developed a split personality and sociopathic tendencies…oh, wait, maybe that’s not a new thing. Go ahead and disregard that last bit.

I have become worse than an addict. Feining for just one more word, because every word brings me closer to that 50,000. I check my NaNo stats obsessively, so obsessively in fact that when I close my eyes, this is what I see on the insides of my lids.

Avg per day-1,576

Words written today - 0

Target word count-50,000

Target Avg per day- 1,667

Total written-22,077

Words remaining-27,923

Days remaining-17

I have turned into a zombie “Just one more word….just one more” I plead.

I need help, I need a NaNo intervention. There must be some sort of NaNo group therapy out there that begins meeting in December. NaNoWriMo has taken my soul hostage and is inflicting word torture as we speak! I have begun to toss random words at the page and write things that should never see the paper at all.

As I write this for all of you I can’t help but wonder, How many words this would have added to my WIP? Answer: 627 words

This is day 14 off the NaNo apocalypse I will report back to you in one week. If you have not heard from me by then please, I beg you, go on without me. For if I am not here it means they have come for me. The words have taken me to a place far far away from here. From which I shall never return, Go now and Save yourselves!

** Also please note: I take no responsibility for the grammatical atrocities that may or may not take place in this post, as it is morning and NaNo has turned my brain into mashed turnip. that is all.**

The New Beginning : A Short Story By Me

He sat there in the dark room drawing another vertical line adjacent to yesterday’s. Yesterday’s line was next to the one from the day before, and so on for the past four hundred and ten days. He tossed the piece of lead across the room; it made a ping against the steel walls. It had been four hundred and eleven days since the regime announced the imminent destruction of planet Earth.

It was the year 2043 when they made a worldwide proclamation about the meteor and how there was no feasible way it would miss the planet, our planet. That had been a crazy day; there had been few crazy days for Jake and Alyssa since then. Everyone on Earth was distributed a pill, a tiny, harmless looking, yellow pill. Swallowing  it was the easy way to end life.

“You just fall asleep and don’t wake up,” the pharmacists would say as they passed them out. It was supposed to be a better way to go than suffering all of the things that were set to transpire post meteor. The news predicted everything from  radiation poisoning and  tidal waves to catastrophic weather and worse.Sitting down at the table Alyssa placed one bowl of cold beans in front of herself and another one in front of Jake. It was scarcely enough for two. They were starving.

She had adjusted well enough to living underground with limited resources in the old bomb shelter. Her twelfth birthday had been weeks ago if Jake had been counting correctly. He let her have the last Twinkie. They had no real cake. She thought about how wonderful it was that there was a sweet that never expired. It wasn't the best of times in that stagnant shelter, but they got by, until now that is. They were out of food now and they were dangerously low on their water supply. Jake still kept the two yellow pills on a shelf near the ceiling of their makeshift home, just in case. They’d be lucky to have enough water to swallow them down with as it was.

He had to make a choice, the hardest decision he had made since dragging his baby

sister below ground. If he said to take the pill, she would listen. They would go to sleep and their struggle would finally come to a halt. If he chose to go up… well there was no way to know what would happen.

“We’re about out of supplies. I have to go up.” The Earth has to be there ; we’re still living and breathing underground.

“Maybe the destruction wasn't that bad.” He told Alyssa as he watched her eyes begin to slowly fill  with tears. Of course she was scared. What little girl wouldn't be? Jake wrapped an arm around her shoulders .They walked up the steps together and Jake unlatched and shoved the metal door. With a groan and a crack it gave way, swinging open . Jake looked around. Everything looked well… the same mostly. They were deep in the woods, after all. Who knew what the cities looked like now? But here it was as if nothing had happened.

“There was no meteor, no earthquakes, no tsunami. The atmosphere is

still perfectly intact as far as I can tell." he told his sister, disbelief heavy in his words, but he forced a smile in her direction.

“Nothing happened?" she whispered, covering her mouth, “Where are the people?"

“There are no people Lis, they took the pill." Jake replied “Everyone died for nothing."  Both were silent a moment.

  Alyssa came out letting the screen door slam behind her. She set a bowl of water down on the porch as four scruffy kittens ran around her feet eager to drink. Her blond hair was pulled back in a neat braid and her face was clean, She hardly resembled the girl she was just a short time ago living underground. Eight weeks had gone by since they had stepped out of their storm shelter and back into the sunlight. Jake still boiled all their water before they drank, but so far neither had not gotten sick from it or any of the fish or vegetables they ate. Jake always tried new foods first. Sometimes he would make Alyssa wait days before she was allowed to have it, but they were no longer starving. They were finally getting a sort of routine life together.

They were the last two people on Earth, and so far it wasn't that bad.They had acquired what little items they had by scouring abandoned

homes they had passed by as they searched the area surrounding their little underground shelter. Jake decided early on that they would not drift too far from it. one could never know when they may need to hide out again. This time if the world were going to end there would be no forewarning. There was no one to report these sorts of things anymore.They  moved everything that they did not store in the shelter  into this home, their new home:  a small white house they stumbled upon while they were out collecting berries one day. Jake had checked it out. There were no bodies inside like the other homes.

The two walked east toward the bay. It was Monday, that meant fishing day. The bay was

quite a distance from their home, so fishing day had become somewhat of an adventure. Alyssa liked to make picnic  lunches for her and Jake to share . They had been walking for hours when the sky began to rumble overhead.

Startled, Alyssa shouted “Look!!" pointing upward, in time for Jake to catch a glimpse of  the large airplane soaring across the sky.

Book Review : Adorned

By Amanda Perry
Title: Adorned
Author: Georgeann Swiger
Series: The Trinity Of Souls Series
Genre: YA
Publisher: Entranced Publishing 
Publication Date: November 4, 2013


Blurb: 

When seventeen-year-old Anya finds out she’s actually an angel being trained to protect humanity, she discovers that becoming an angel has nothing to do with wings and haloes. For Anya, becoming an angel has to do with death—her death.

Micah, the angelic soldier ordered to protect her until she transitions from human to angel, promises her death will be a glorious experience as long as she follows his rules.  But getting Anya through this life and to the next isn’t as simple as Micah expects. His job becomes even more difficult after he unwittingly performs a miracle that exposes Anya’s hidden angelic light. 

With her secret out, Hell’s legions begin targeting her. Unfortunately, Hell’s minions are the least of Micah’s worries. He’s more concerned about the forbidden human emotions he’s developed toward Anya. Even more troubling, is she seems to love him too. And giving in to those feelings, could mean dire consequences for them both.

Review:

I dove into this book only half heartedly. I am not a huge fan of angels personally so I was not 100% sure this book would be “my thing”.

At first I was really put off by the writing style. It was written in first person/present tense, and the  first chapter felt very much like a narrative. I did not like it at all… but before I even knew it I was sucked right into the story, and the tense in which it was written was no longer a thought in my head. Maybe it was simply something I was not used to seeing and I needed to take a minute to adjust to it. Whatever it was that I found off putting about the style was quickly washed away as I became engrossed in the lives of Anya, Sam, Celeste and Micah.

“By the time i get to school,my head hurts so bad I think my eyeballs are going to explode.”  

I picked this particular sentence out of the story because it is simply so real. This is what allowed me to relate to Anya in the story, the fact that she says, does, and thinks things the same way so many of us do on a regular basis.

Back to the angels - this book definitely appears to be geared toward those who are Christian in faith. I personally have dabbled in many different faiths over the years and currently hold with the buddhists and/or the non religious sorts. That, however, did not affect my opinion of the story like I worried it might. In fact I rather liked Georgann’s take on the angels. I liked the little church that her characters attended. I even liked the way they chose to live their lives (most of them anyway).

Micah behaves less than angelic, which of course I loved. I need to know more about him and his true feelings. I feel like we were only given a small glimpse into Micah and I yearn for more. I think it would have been better if I was able to feel more tension and emotion between him and another one of our main characters.

Sam was probably  one of the most interesting characters, you never quite know what to expect from him or what side he’s on.

Simon is just that typical angel jerk we have all come to know and loathe. There's a Simon it seems in every angel-like story and he always sucks.

Eli was, in my opinion, the best character. He was flawlessly written, hilarious, original, and still mysterious. I am really anxious to see where the author decides to take this character , and how much power does he really wield?

There were a couple of events that occurred throughout the book that I am not sure I really comprehended. First what/who did Micah heal? The way I saw it two people were mysteriously healed. There was that whole part after he helped Anya too that said someone will be hurt because she was helped. It seemed like an eye for an eye thing, only I didn’t notice that there were any repercussions at all. That whole part of the story line just left me a bit bewildered.

The ending of this book killed me. It was over before I even knew what was happening. I turned the page and that was it. There just was no more. It was abrupt, harsh and refreshingly different. It left me wondering so many things. Georgann how could you leave me hanging like this? It’s too much. I need more information. What happened next for goodness sakes?

Overall I think this was a very enjoyable read. I will be reading the sequel as soon as I can get my hands on it, and I think Georgeann Swiger is an author worth keeping an eye on. I have a feeling this will not be the last we see of her.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of Adorned from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Soul's Mark: CHANGED Cover Reveal

Quick Facts

Expected Release Date: December 2013

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Formats: All ebook formats and Paperback

Synopsis Ever since college student Amelia Caldwell moved to Willowberg her life has been in turmoil. But without the evil vampire hunters terrorizing the town, life in Willowberg has been relatively quiet. With a little help from Mother Nature and a dream for a better future, Mitchell has found himself in a predicament—after eight hundred years of being immortal he is now a human while his soulmate is a vampire. Now all Amelia and Mitchell have to do is hide from the world until his body can handle the change. But when Mitchell gets a cold all hell breaks loose. With an unexpected resistance rising, and an unexplained deadline from the spirits, Amelia realizes that this is a fight she cannot win alone. One thing is clear: to save Mitchell, he needs to change—again. But if he does, what chance does he have of surviving it?

To celebrate the upcoming release of The Soul’s Mark: CHANGED, the fourth and final book in The Soul’s Mark Series, Ashley is giving away unlimited FREE eCopies of The Soul’s Mark: FOUND, the awarding winning first book in the series. So grab the coupon code below and download your eCopy of The Soul’s Mark: FOUND from Smashwords. Share the code with your family and friends, and if you enjoy it and decide to continue on with the series, Ashley would love it if you could post a review on Amazon.com, Goodreads, and blogs for each of her books that you read.

Visit: Smashwords

Simply use the coupon code: LS34W and download your FREE eCopy.

Expiration Date: October 17, 2013

Ashley Stoyanoff, the award winning author of The Soul’s Mark: FOUND, lives in Whitby, Ontario and loves diving into the magical world of creating fiction. When not writing, she can be found reading sappy novels, watching cheesy chick flicks, and buying far too many clothes. Connect with Ashley Stoyanoff OnlineWebsite | Facebook | Goodreads | Email Other Books by Ashley Stoyanoff The Soul's Mark SeriesThe Soul's Mark: FOUND (The Soul's Mark, #1)The Soul's Mark: HUNTED (The Soul's Mark, #2)The Soul's Mark: BROKEN (The Soul's Mark, #3)Waking Dreams, A Soul's Mark Novella Deadly TrilogyDeadly Crush (Deadly Trilogy, #1)

Hey Blog fans!!!! I Am Participating in this years NaNoWriMo!!! whoot whoot.... Check out the link make a donation http://www.stayclassy.org/fundraise?fcid=264563 Show you Faith! It's going to Be Epic!!

BOOK REVIEW: THE EARTH DWELLERS By Amanda Perry Series: The Dwellers Saga Paperback: 458 pages Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (August 30, 2013) Language: EnglishGenre: Dystopian Synopsis: The Earth Dwellers is the 4th book in BOTH The Dwellers Saga and The Country Saga. The author recommends that BOTH series are read in their entirety before reading this book (The Moon Dwellers, The Star Dwellers, The Sun Dwellers, Fire Country, Ice Country, Water & Storm Country). Your favorite Dwellers and Country Saga characters come together in this epic seventh book! As President Borg Lecter threatens to annihilate the Country tribes in order to expand his glass-domed empire, Adele ventures into the belly of the beast. Her only hope of survival is the consolidation of Dwellers and Country power before it’s too late. Former demagogue President Nailin is eliminated, yet civil unrest infects every alliance. To save Adele, President Tristan faces his greatest challenge yet: unifying unfriendly Dwellers in the Tri-Realms to raise an army against Lecter. Meanwhile, Dazz must convince the Ice Country leaders to march with Siena and the Tri-Tribes on the gates of the Glass City. The world sits on the edge of a knife. Will Adele, Tristan, Dazz, and Siena defeat Lecter and his army of killers before the Glassies wipe them off the face of the Earth? Review:  Where do I start? This saga was phenomenal, one of the best dystopian series I have ever had the pleasure of reading. If you have not yet read the Dwellers series and the Country Saga I implore you to do so before you continue to read this review. I can assure you if you like YA and dystopia you will have the time of your life. David is an amazing world builder and one of my favorite indie authors. He will take your imagination in his hands and beat it repeatedly against a brick wall while you beg for more. This journey is like an out of control thrill ride with no end in sight, until it ends…with a BANG. This review is not of the series as a whole but of the final book in both the Dwellers series and theCountry Saga, which was brilliant on Estes part. The combining of two great series into one grand finale is creative genius if I ever saw it. Earth Dwellers was beautifully written and the action began immediately, picking up right where we left off in the Sun Dwellers and Water and Storm Country. WARNING THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE SPOILERS. David Estes went to bed one night as himself and woke up the next day George R.R Martin (and for those of you who don’t know Mr. Martin’s work he in short destroys everything you love and murders anyone you think should be safe.) David joined all of our favorite characters together in a battle against those evil Glassies.  The story is mainly told from Adele, Tristian, and Siena ‘s Point of view.  Skye, Wilde, Dazz, Jade and Feve are around for a great deal of the tale as well. There is not enough of Huck and Sadie in my opinion but they showed up when they needed to and that's what matters the most. We also get to see General Rose, Elsey, Roc and Tawni (though I would have liked to see a little more of that classic Tawni persona) and so many more favorite characters from throughout the series. Don’t forget about Perry - he’s there too! Adele’s story introduces us to Lin and it is a shame we didn’t get to know her before now; she is pretty cool and a great addition to the story. Dazz (my bookboyfriend, come on we all have at least one okay & I will love him forever) takes us back to Ice Country, to his mom, Jolie, Buff, Buff’s dad and a great many siblings. Abe and Hightower are there as well, plus the new mustache man... I can’t even write this part of the review without feeling overly emotional, because David shattered my soul into a million pieces, ripped it violently from my body, and smashed it into the dirt with this book. The tears were consistent from chapter 35 on and a piece of me died along with my Icers. I will never be the same person I was before this story. There were twists in the ending that I would never have expected. So many died, even though I know I said there would be spoilers there are some things I still don’t want to give away so I am trying to stay away from specifics. I cried for Feve’s children, and mustache man's daughter. I cried happy tears for Tristian. Heck I cried for everyone, but I cheered for them as well. I cheered for the people of the sun realm who sang and for Grunt during battle. This book was a total emotional roller coaster. I am very happy with the ending of these series. David combined everything and wrapped up everyone’s story with incredible skill, and an epic battle. There was nothing left unanswered. Even the supporting characters' story lines were completed. It left the reader with a feeling of contentment. We know what has happened to all of our friends and what they are doing now. There is no more wondering if Dazz’s mother will stay clean and care for him and Jolie, if Elsey will ever just be a happy kid or if Siena, Skye and Jade will ever just have time to be together. We now know. I did find one minor inconsistency near the end but it was not a big deal and really did nothing to take away from the general story line so I pretty much pretended it was not there at all. The epilogue, I am not usually a fan of the epilogue, but in this case the resolution was necessary, and I was beyond thankful that it was included. Those of you who know me will understand why I personally was so elated to finally see that one name again at the end. I read the entire thing from behind teary, blurred eyes, but it felt right. It felt good and fulfilling. There were life lessons built into the story line and it left you with a satisfying glow to know the people are and can be good. I know that David is working on a new series and I just can’t wait to read more from him, though the thought alone makes me worry for my emotional stability. Thank you David Estes for writing a wonderfully Epic story that I hope to share with every reader I know.

BOOK REVIEW: THE DREAM THIEVES(THE RAVEN BOYS #2) By Amanda Perry Title: The Dream Thieves (The Raven Boys #2) Author: Maggie Steifvater Series: Raven Cycle Hardcover: 416 pages Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 17, 2013) Language: English ISBN-10: 0545424941 ISBN-13: 978-0545424943 The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater! Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after.... Review Disclaimer: I received an ARC of the Dream Thieves from Netgalley.  I am going to try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible since you all have to wait a couple more weeks for the official book release.. Recently I reviewed the first book in this series The Raven Boys and was immediately blown away. Though Maggie Stiefvater is one of my favorite YA authors I was a tad bit disappointed with this installment. It may have been that the first book was so wonderful that this simply can’t compare but I think it was more than that. Maggie's writing style is absolutely beautiful as always, and I was easily sucked back into the world of Henrietta,the lives of what I now consider my Aglionby boys, and 300 Fox Way. In this installment of the Raven Cycle, Maggie introduces us to a couple of new characters, one of whom you may grow to  love, though maybe you shouldn't and a second whose purpose I am still not sure of. Though with Maggie the unknown may simply be that way because she wants us to wonder. There was one specific scene that I will not divulge too much about… It involves two of our characters and a great view of Henrietta, had the entire book been complete garbage I still would have suffered through for this one moment! That is how fantastic it was. The Dream Thieves brings us deeper into the lives, both past, and present, of some of our characters and we learn a great deal about who our they are and what makes them tick. We see quite a bit more of Matthew than we did before and even Noah is shown in a different light for a time. Ronan plays a much bigger part in this story, and I am really starting to appreciate his character much more than I previously had. Bule and Adam both go through some much needed changes and I believe that in the third book they will both be much more grown up than they were in the beginning of this adventure. I feel as though this book took a sort of hiatus as far as the search for Glendower is concerned and that was a little disappointing. In the first book we are led to believe the whole story is centered around the boys, Blue and this quest and yet throughout the second book that quest has been put on hold. I am still really unsure of what the heck has been happening to Adam since his sacrifice in Cabeswater. The ending of this book was a HUGE cliffhanger and that is putting it mildly. It was almost too much. After reading this book I am just as much in love with my Raven Boys as I ever was, if not even more so, and though I was not overly thrilled with this installment I did enjoy it. I am looking forward to the next book. In fact I am already starting to miss Gansey,(insert dramatic sigh here)  he is  just so dreamy (pun intended)! Do you plan on picking up this book when it is released on 9/17/13?? You can pre-order it from Amazon using the link below. What are you hoping for and expecting to happen? Any predictions? I would love to hear your thoughts!

The Mortal Instruments : City Of Bones Review

By Amanda Perry

Synopsis: When her mother disappears, Clary Fray learns that she descends from a line of warriors who protect our world from demons. She joins forces with others like her and heads into a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld.

Director: 
Harald Zwart
Writers: 
Jessica Postigo (screenplay) based on a novel by Cassandra Clare
Stars:
Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan |See full cast and crew

Shadow Hunters, Downworlders and Mundanes…. Oh my!

Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of book to movie adaptations; I can count on one hand how many have left me even remotely pleased.  As for The Mortal Instruments, City Of Bones movie I can honestly say I left the theater feeling very satisfied.

I read the entire Mortal Instruments series as well as the Infernal Devices (the latter being my favorite of Cassandra Clare’s books and ones I highly recommend). If you have not read the books I do suggest doing so before going to see the movie (and maybe even before you read the rest of this post...).

Let’s talk about casting. Lilly Collins as Clary - Amazing. This girl was so full of emotion; the perfect choice of an actress to portray a girl going through so many things in her life all at once and she looked beautiful doing it. She was a phenomenal choice.

Lena Heady plays Jocelyn, Clary’s mother.  Lena (also known by some as Cersei Lannister on HBO’s Game Of Thrones) had quite a small part in this movie but she did it wonderfully. She is really a very talented actress, and the resemblance between Lena and Lilly was incredible. It was not hard at all to believe that she was this young girl’s mother.

Jamie Campbell Bower played Jace and to be honest I am not sure how I feel about his performance.  Yes he looked nice without a shirt on, but I felt his hair was very distracting and not really in a good way. The book divulges a lot more about who Jace is and why he is that way. I feel like this information was important to the story line yet the movie pretty much just left it out. Aside from one short line from Isabelle about Jace’s father's murder. Jamie’s saving grace however was the garden scene with Clary… Whooo that was intense!

Unfortunately that is where the quality casting comes to an end.

Robert Sheehan played Simon and I felt he was just not quite awkward enough.

Alec and Isabelle Lightwood (Kevin Zegers and Jemma West respectively) hardly looked like siblings at all and though Jemma is a very pretty girl I feel like she didn’t quite live up to the grace and beauty that is the Isabelle Lightwood we’ve come to know and love through the series.

The most disappointing of all though was Magnus Bane played by Godfrey Gao. Whether it was the fault of the actor, which I sincerely doubt, or something else Magnus’s part was simply not what it should have been. Magnus is a favorite to many fans of the series and not only were his parts drastically cut in the movie, but moviegoers got a less than fair dose of the fabulous pizzazz that is the essence of Magnus Bane! Where was that crazy, fun, lifesaving warlock from the series??? I wanted to feel that spark between Magnus and Alec and if one didn’t know any better they would not have even picked up on the slightest interest shared by the two. This was quite sad.

The special effects were not quite up to par where the werewolves were concerned but I think that has a lot to do with how tough it really is to make a realistic looking werewolf! My husband (who did not read the books) came to see the film with me and was a little confused as to whether or not Jace and Clary were related. The movie did not portray that whole situation very clearly.

That being said, the music was great! The demons even better, they weren’t over the top unbelievable in fact they were almost a little scary! The institute was gorgeous, the garden was just breathtaking, and the wardrobe to die for! 

Sure like everyone who sees a movie after already falling in love with the characters through the book, I found some faults but not nearly as many as I suspected I would. Yes I would have changed a few little things here and there, but overall it was a great flick. I was very excited for this movie and I am glad I was able to leave the theater feeling like I spent some time with some characters I haven’t seen in a while. My love for the series was renewed in full and the movie left me aching for the next book. 


Have you seen City of Bones? What are your thoughts?  

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Dreaming of a London Holiday - Gypsy Girl

Dreaming of a London Holiday - Gypsy Girl

Follow the link and check out another great blog post! At the writer's shack.

BOOK REVIEW: THE RAVEN BOYS BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER By Amanda Perry Book review for The Raven Boys Author: Maggie Stiefvater Standalone or Series: Book 1 in a 4 part series Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (Sept 18, 2012) Basic Blurb: It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them-not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He has it all-family money, good looks, devoted friends-but he's looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Review:  There were many times I walked through my local bookstore and picked up this book, only to put it down and choose something else. I just was not quite sure about it. I read Maggie’s “Wolves of Mercy Falls” series and liked it quite a bit, but there was something about this book before I read it, it just didn't quite seem to be calling me. Finally when it was released in paperback I decided I was ready for it. Picture this if you will…. Ultimate fan-girling, clutching said paper back to ones chest while shouting “Oh MY Goodness, Get out”, falling back on to the bed and into a coma brought on by your book hangover. That’s pretty much how this book was, from start to finish. Key words there being “pretty much” Overall this story was absolutely amazing. The first Chapter blew me away with… “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Marks Eve, Blue. Either you’re his one true love,” Neeve said, “or you killed him.” TALK ABOUT A GREAT HOOK! From this point on I was completely enthralled. While I realize that a lot of YA paranormals seem to have the same general concept lately, the author manages to put a new spin on things. I have also come to see that with this particular author things don’t seem quite as farfetched as they do in so many other stories in this genre. The story is mainly focused on this sweet girl, Blue, who lives with her crazy family of all female clairvoyants, and a group of boys who attend a private school in her hometown. The boys are on a search for a Ley Line and that search brings the boys into Blue's life in some very unexpected ways. Maggie's writing is a little on the dry side. I mean that in a very good way though, think British humor v.s. American and you’ll start to get the idea. I personally am a huge fan of her writing style. The beginning of chapter 3, where the author describes Blue’s house during the morning rush, was phenomenal. This paragraph was perfectly written and left me feeling like I was standing in this girl’s kitchen and fighting my own crazy aunts for the bathroom.                                                                        The only disappointing thing about this book was the ending. Somewhere around chapter 39 or so, for whatever reason, the author diverted from her calm, descriptive story telling way. She began to rush things that really need not have been rushed. The whole climax of the story was smushed . She skimped on descriptions and flew through some of the most important scenes of the book. It was a real bummer. She also left so many things unanswered. I understand that this leaves room for sequels but every good novel should be able to stand on its own. In my opinion sequels should be optional, not necessary. Also because the ending was so rushed I feel like I missed out on something. The author jumps to a few days later as life is going on and I still don’t fully understand what the heck happened to Adam. Honestly if you enjoy YA this is a must read. It is a great book. There are some seriously shocking twists and the whole story is told in a completely believable realistic way. Maggie Stiefvater is a story telling champion whose books do exactly what a good book should, transport you to another time and place where anything can happen and your right in the center of it all. I can’t wait for the next book. Just For Fun Some Memorable Quotes from the book: “Fate is a very weighty word to throw around before breakfast.” “I guess now would be a good time to tell you. I took Chainsaw out of my dreams.” “My words are unerring tools of destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them.” If you enjoyed this review, show your support by leaving a comment for the author, or sharing it among your social network.