Series Finale – The Immortals by Jeff Altabef @jeffaltabef

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The Immortals

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

‘Better to die with light than live in the darkness.’

“All great revolutions and movements start with a few people meeting in secret, hatching plans to change their worlds. More often than not, it ended in failure and the death of those involved.”

A prophecy: A boy made of light will end Eden from the darkness and break the curse that strangles it and the world.

It has been a while since I read the last book in the series, Ghost King, but everything came back to me pretty quick. It all began when someone dreamed up The Red Death (Book I), a plague that quickly took over the world.

“…We treated the world so shabbily that is was bound to fight back…”

I love books that hint at the real world, yet keep me living the fantasy.

I have almost two pages of notes and I know I can’t use them all. It would spoil everything for those who want to enter the world of The Red Death. The Red Death kills all those who were in their twenties and older. Everything is connected. If one world falls, they all fall, so the darkness must be faced head on. It starts with Eden.

We first meet Thorn and Rose, as they look out at Eden, hoping to have found a home, but it was not to be. As they travel through life, they are complete opposites and end up with opposing goals. Thorn had grown tired of war, but Rose was so driven to take Eden, he wondered why?

Thorn and Rose are the Immortals…chosen by the Devil. Wilky has come a long way, from a bumbling young man who couldn’t communicate, to a king. The Painted Ones, The Cursed Tribe…they were counting on Wilky and Aaliss to save them, and what they would do would cross all realms.

Aaliss had felt the Creator had deserted her because she was surrounded by death and then, Wilky returns from the Ghost Rider’s realm, a grown man. They needed to return to Eden to stop her uncle and his evil plans. He was a traitor. Aaliss is in love with Eamon, but when his father died, he became king and they both had a different road to take. Would they come together in the end?

I love this: Man had their chance and had screwed up the world so badly, it would take a girl to set things right. Could that apply to today?

“…for all who passed, so we can live in the light.”

I know not all will survive and when they called off the names of those who had fallen, I shared their sorrow. Much was sacrificed for those who chose to do the right thing.

The story was unpredictable, the battles crossed realms, the characters ranged from evil to angelic, the magic crossed all boundaries, the prophecy came to life and The Red Death…well, you will need to get the details for yourself. The series is complete, the story told and the characters live on…in everyone’s mind who has read it.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Immortals by Jeff Altabef.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Most believe the Immortals are a myth, a folk story meant to frighten children, but Wilky and Aaliss discover the truth is even more frightening than the myths.

Wilky, once a boy filled with light and a healer, is now the Ghost King, drawn to darkness and violence. As powerful enemies descend on Eden, he must find another, the true child of light, to help him save Eden and keep the world from descending into darkness. Does he have time? Can he still be trusted? Will he instead succumb to power and darkness?

Meanwhile, Aaliss is pushed to the limit to bring justice to Eden, and joins with the most unlikely of allies. In the end, she must accept the magic inside her, or all will be lost. Will she pass her ultimate test?

EVOLVED PUBLISHING PRESENTS the thrilling conclusion to the multiple award-winning “Red Death” series of epic fantasy/dystopian adventures, with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very last page.

ABOUT JEFF ALTABEF (from Amazon)

Jeff Altabef lives in New York with his wife, two daughters, and Charlie the dog. He spends time volunteering at the writing center in the local community college. After years of being accused of “telling stories,” he thought he would make it official. He writes in both the thriller and young adult genres. Fourteenth Colony, a political thriller, was his debut novel. Shatter Point, a thriller, published by Evolved Publishing was his second novel. It won the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for Best Thriller, Fall 2014.

Jeff’s first Young Adult novel, Wind Catcher: A Chosen Novel, is being published on March 23rd by Evolved Publishing. He’s very happy and proud that his co-author is his teenaged daughter, Erynn Altabef. Wind Catcher has won the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal for Coming of Age Novels, the 2015 Beverly Hills Book Award for Best YA Fiction and a Mom’s Choice Award.

As an avid Knicks fan, Jeff is prone to long periods of melancholy during hoops season. Jeff has a column on The Examiner focused on writing and a blog designed to encourage writing by those who like telling stories.

You can follow Jeff on Facebook, Twitter, or join his newsletter!

MY JEFF ALTABEF REVIEWS

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Books From The Backlog – Freak of Nature by Julia Crane @juliacrane2

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks.

If you would like to join in, swing by Carole’s Random Life in Books.

Freak of Nature (IFICS, #1)

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB

Donate Body to Science. Check.
When seventeen-year-old Kaitlyn checked the box, she never suspected she’d have her life–and her body–stolen from her. She awakens one day in a secret laboratory to discover that her body is now half-robot and is forced to hide her own secret: that she still has human emotions and a human mind. If the scientists who made her find out, they’ll erase what remains of who she was.

Kaitlyn finds an unlikely ally in Lucas, a handsome, brilliant scientist who can’t get over the guilt he feels knowing she was once a vibrant, beautiful young woman. He never expected a science project to affect him the way she does. As he tries to help her rediscover her past, he finds himself falling for the brave girl struggling to find her place and acceptance between the human and computer worlds.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.59  ·  3,202 ratings  ·  567 reviews

I added Freak of Nature by Julia Crane to my TBR on 1.17.13. I had read Cinder by Marissa Meyer and loved it, so when I saw this cover and read the blurb, I thought I would like this one too. I have been reading more science fiction in the last couple of years and have been really enjoying it. I look forward to reading more. Do you have a favorite science fiction author you would like to share with us?

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Giveaway – The 8th Island Trilogy by Alexis Marie Chute @_Alexis_Marie @iReadBookTours

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Join Us for this Book Series Tour from Jul 7 to Aug 10, 2020!
A Wrinkle in Time meets The Princess Bride.” – Review by Lee Lee Thompson, The Perpetual You Magazine

“Chute’s novel weaves STAR WARS-like characters with a WONDER-like message to form an enrapturing read for booklovers of all ages.” – US Review of Books

Fast and bizarre… Never a dull moment. – Foreward Reviews

SERIES DETAILS:

Series Title The 8th Island Trilogy by Alexis Marie Chute
Category:  Young Adult Fiction (13 to 17 yrs) (368 to 448 pages)
Genre fantasy, adventure, coming of age, ya, adult
Publisher SparkPress.
Release dates:   Jun 2018; Oct 2019; Apr 2020
Content Rating: PG:
Battle scenes and death depicted.



Series Description:

The 8th Island Trilogy
includes Above the Star, Below the Moon, and Inside the Sun. Over the three books, we follow the adventures of a quirky family, the Wellsleys. The main characters are frumpy senior citizen Archie, his daughter-in-law, Tessa, and his ill fourteen-year-old granddaughter Ella.

Archie, searching for his missing son, accidentally transports his family—and a cruise ship full of people—to a magical planet. There, they uncover the truth: all worlds are dying. Yet hope is not lost. A way to restore all that will soon be destroyed is revealed, along with the realization that Ella will play a role no one could have imagined—especially not her.

On the mysterious island of Jarr-Wya, many races of creatures battle for dominion and magic lurks around every corner. When the world falls dark, that is when bravery must shine the brightest, and the Wellsleys will reveal the strength they never knew they possessed—as well as the power of love to save the day.


Books in the 8th Island Trilogy:



Book Details:

Book TitleAbove the Star by Alexis Marie Chute
Category:  Young Adult Fiction (13 to 17 yrs), 368 pages
Genre fantasy, adventure, coming of age, ya, adult
Publisher SparkPress.
Release dates:   Jun 2018
Content Rating: PG:
Battle scenes and death depicted.


Book Description:

When frumpy senior citizen Archie goes in search of his missing son in the Spanish Canary Islands, he stumbles upon a higher mission: locating a magical cure for his ailing fourteen-year-old granddaughter, Ella. Using a portal-jumping device called the Tillastrion, Archie and a stone-headed creature named Zeno are transported to Jarr-Wya, a magnificent yet terrifying island in a connected realm―along with Ella and her strong-willed mother, Tessa, who accidentally stow away on this not-so-secret quest.

What they find on Jarr-Wya is an island tortured by a wicked Star anchored in the sea, and a raging three-way battle for dominion between the stone-wielding Bangols, the fiery Olearons, and the evil Millia sands. Ella’s wit and resourcefulness emerge in this new world, while Tessa is forced to confront her long-buried secrets and a confusing new love triangle. When Ella is captured, Tessa and Archie―with the help of a company of peculiar allies―set out to save her and unravel the terrible mystery of her cure. A mesmerizing, stay-up-all-night adventure of three unlikely heroes, Above the Star reminds us that even the smallest act of bravery can transform our lives and the fates of the worlds around us.




Book Details:

Book TitleBelow the Moon by Alexis Marie Chute
Category:  Young Adult Fiction (13 to 17 yrs), 448 pages
Genre fantasy, adventure, coming of age, ya, adult
Publisher SparkPress.
Release dates:   Oct 2019
Content Rating: PG: Battle scenes and death depicted.

Book Description:

Ella Wellsley is not your typical teenager. Cancer left her mute, but not powerless. Trapped in a parallel dimension, Ella rallies her strength to join her family―her mother, Tessa, her grandpa Archie, and her magical boyfriend―in locating the cure to her illness. This cure is entangled in the fate of all worlds, and threatened by the presence of an evil Star anchored in the sea. The Star has thrown life everywhere into chaos―and it is Ella who holds the key to unlocking its mystery.

Caught in a web of betrayal, mistaken identities, secrets, and love triangles, Ella, Tessa, and Archie must overcome their troubled pasts to ensure a future for all worlds. On this journey―armed with unearthly abilities and unexpected allies―each member of the Wellsley family will learn the power of love in the face of their greatest fears.


Book Details:

Book TitleInside the Sun by Alexis Marie Chute
Category:  Young Adult Fiction (13 to 17 yrs), 384 pages
Genre fantasy, adventure, coming of age, ya, adult
Publisher SparkPress.
Release dates:   April 2020
Content Rating: PG:
Battle scenes and death depicted.

Book Description:


All worlds are dying, and it’s up to one broken and dysfunctional family from Earth―the Wellsleys―to save the day.

Cancer-ridden Ella celebrates her fifteenth birthday beneath an enchanted mountain, but it is what lies even farther below―the mysterious Star in the sea―that demands she grow up quickly. While Ella grapples with the sacrifice she must make and the lies she is forced to tell, her mother, Tessa, is hell-bent on protecting her.

Through bizarre encounters, love-sick Tessa realizes that she is not the lonely orphan she believes. Her husband, Arden, and father-in-law, Archie, are not the only ones with magical bloodlines. This revelation changes everything. As Archie chooses to embody his unexpected ancestry, he learns that leading the charge in the ultimate battle against evil won’t be as easy as he thought. He’ll need his family―and the strange allies he has gained―by his side to give Ella enough time to set things right.

Can they defeat the unstoppable Millia sands―and another unexpected foe―before everything they hold dear is destroyed? Or will their adventure tear them apart for good? The finale to The 8th Island Trilogy will hold you spellbound until the final page, and long after.



Meet the Author:

Alexis Marie Chute is an award-winning author, artist, photographer, art curator, filmmaker, and public speaker. She has received over 40 noteworthy distinctions for her visual and literary work. Her award-winning fantasy series The 8th Island Trilogy includes, Above the Star, Below the Moon, and Inside the Sun. The series has been described as “A WRINKLE IN TIME meets THE PRINCESS BRIDE” by The Perpetual You magazine, and “Fast and bizarre… never a dull moment” by Forward Reviews. The 8th Island Trilogy “weaves STAR WARS-like characters with a WONDER-like message to form an enrapturing read for blooklovers of all ages” – US Review of Books. Chute’s bestselling memoir, Expecting Sunshine: A Journey of Grief, Healing and Pregnancy After Loss, was a top Kirkus title of 2017 and received a plethora of other literary distinctions. The memoir was accompanied by the feature documentary of the same name, which has screened internationally for the last three years. Chute received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and Design from the University of Alberta, Canada, and studied at Media Design school in Auckland, New Zealand. She graduated valedictorian with her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, USA. Chute is a highly regarded public speaker. She has presented on art, writing, bereavement, and the healing capacities of creativity around the world. Contact the Author/Artist for bookings info@alexismariechute.com When not in her art/photo studio or at her computer, Chute loves to spend quality time with her family, read fiction and non-fiction, watch reality TV, paddleboard, and canoe. She is not a winter person but lives in frosty Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with her husband and their three living children.

Connect with the author: Website  ~  Twitter   Facebook  ~  Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube ~ LinkedIn


Tour Schedule:

July 7 – Splashes of Joy – series spotlight / guest post / author interview / giveaway
July 7 – Working Mommy Journal – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 7 – fundinmental – series spotlight / giveaway
July 7 – Corinne Rodrigues | Booksnista – series spotlight / giveaway
July 8 – Leels Loves Books – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 8 – Book Bustle – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 8 – Living in a Bookworld – series spotlight / giveaway
July 9 – Confessions of the Perfect Mom – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 9 – I’m Into Books – series spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 10 – Falling Into A Good Book – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 10 – She Just Loves Books – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 13 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 13 – Books and Zebras – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 14 – Olio by Marilyn – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 14 – Cheryl’s Book Nook – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 15 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 15 – Blooming with Books – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 16 – Working Mommy Journal – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 16 – Books and Zebras – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 17 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 17 – Writer with Wanderlust – series spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 20 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 20 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 20 – Adventurous Bookworm – book review of Above the Star / giveaway
July 21 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
July 21 – Stephanie Jane – series spotlight / giveaway
July 21 – Leels Loves Books – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 22 – T’s Stuff – series spotlight / author interview / giveaway
July 22 – She Just Loves Books – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 22 – Blooming with Books – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 23 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review of Inside the Sun / guest post / giveaway
July 23 – Confessions of the Perfect Mom – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 24 – Falling Into A Good Book – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 24 – Books and Zebras – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
July 27 –  Book Bustle – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 27 – Adventurous Bookworm – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 28 –  Working Mommy Journal – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
July 28 – Olio by Marilyn – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 28 – Library of Clean Reads – series spotlight / giveaway
July 29 – 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS – series spotlight / guest post / giveaway
July 29 – Blooming with Books – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
July 30 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 30 – Cheryl’s Book Nook – book review of Below the Moon / giveaway
July 31 – She Just Loves Books – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
Aug 3 – StoreyBook Reviews – series spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Aug 3 – Leels Loves Books – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
Aug 4 –  Confessions of the Perfect Mom – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
Aug 4 – Cheryl’s Book Nook – book review of Inside the Sun / guest post / giveaway
Aug 5 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
Aug 5 – Adventurous Bookworm – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
Aug 6 – Olio by Marilyn – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
Aug 6 – Olio by Marilyn – series spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Aug 7 – Falling Into A Good Book – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway
Aug 7 – Jazzy Book Reviews – series spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Aug 10 – Books for Books – series spotlight
Aug 10 –Book Bustle – book review of Inside the Sun / giveaway

Enter the Giveaway:


a Rafflecopter giveaway


 
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One Sentence Review – Pawned by Laura Bickle @Laura_Bickle

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Pawned is not my first book by Laura Bickle and it won’t be my last.

Pawned

Amazon / Goodreads

MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

Pawned by Laura Bickle is a wonderfully done fantasy of angels and demons, dragons and the mob, and the humans that inhabit a richly developed world, where everything revolves around Raz, his cousin, Carl, and Bert, a demonic lizard, and the magical pawn shop that he lives in, where things are sold and bought, and traded for favors.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

For fans of Stranger Things and the works of Neil Gaiman, Pawned is a Young Adult novel that blends dark fantasy adventure and noir — on the New Jersey boardwalk.

You can hock almost anything at my family’s pawn shop…even your own soul.

You think running a pawn shop full of cursed objects with your dad and grandpops is cool? Try it for a week and get back to me. Now try picking up any random object and seeing its creeptastic history play out right before your eyes — yup, that’s my little “gift.” It’s my job to sort out what’s haunted and hexed from what’s not, and do my best to keep all of us — including Bert, our ice-cream-truck-driving-lizard demon — employed.

So it wasn’t all sunshine, roses, and possessed samurai swords even before grandpops’ heart attack — but now things are garden-gnome levels of bad. Dad made a deal with the wrong end of the dark side to save grandpops’ life, putting my whole family smack dab between the forces of evil and our friendly local blow-your-pawn-shop-to-smithereens mobsters. And Lily next door…I shouldn’t even be thinking about Lily.

All I ever wanted was to get out of this crap town and away from my messed-up family, and instead it looks like I’m gonna have to use every scrap of magic in this joint or there won’t be any family left to leave behind…

ABOUT LAURA BICKLE

Laura Bickle

Laura Bickle grew up in rural Ohio, reading entirely too many comic books out loud to her favorite Wonder Woman doll. After graduating with an MA in Sociology – Criminology from Ohio State University and an MLIS in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she patrolled the stacks at the public library and worked with data systems in criminal justice. She now dreams up stories about the monsters under the stairs, also writing contemporary fantasy novels under the name Alayna Williams.

Her work has been included in the ALA’s Amelia Bloomer Project 2013 reading list and the State Library of Ohio’s Choose to Read Ohio reading list for 2015-2016.

Stalk Laura Bickle:  Website  /  Facebook  /  Twitter

MY LAURA BICKLE REVIEWS

The Dragon’s Playlist

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One Sentence Review – Rite of Passage by Emily Martha Sorensen @CleanYAFantasy

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I have read a lot of Emily Martha Sorensen’s short stories and was happy to read Rite of Passage.

Rite of Passage

Amazon / Goodreads

MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

The twins are turning twelve years old and will have a choice to make, but it is not a choice like human children make and it will definitely be life changing…but this ends in a cliffhanger and you will have to read more….

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Rite of Passage by Emily Martha Sorensen

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Twelve-year-old twins Jaeda and Kaedin are preparing for their society’s rite of passage. Kaedin’s hoping to get magic. Jaeda just wants to survive. But neither are prepared for the surprise awaiting them.

“Rite of Passage” is a 1,900 word short story. It can be purchased here, or read on the author’s website for free.

ABOUT EMILY MARTHA SORENSEN

Emily Martha Sorensen

Emily is a prolific writer with many titles to choose from. She writes of fairies, dragons, fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, world peace in short stories and flash fiction.

You can find her on Goodreads & Amazon

MY REVIEWS FOR EMILY MARTHA SORENSEN

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Blog Tour for Quest of Fire by Brett Armstrong @BArmstrongWV @YABoundToursPR

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Quest of Fire: The Gathering Dark
by Brett Armstrong
Genre: YA Epic Fantasy/Christian Fantasy
Release date: April 2019

Summary:

Jason is an expert at running from his past. When it catches up, he finds himself hiding in a peculiar inn listening to a tale from centuries past.

The story is Anargen’s, a teen who is pulled from all he loves to follow his oaths of loyalty to the fabled King of the Realms. Together with his mentor, Cinaed, he rides north on a special quest to mediate peace talks between ancient foes–the men of Ecthelowall and the dwarfs of Ordumair. Nothing goes as planned. Many on both sides of the dispute despise Anargen’s Order. Worse, an arcane evil has returned to the North. This “Grey Scourge” seeks to ruin the peace talks and ensure a lost treasure held by the dwarfs is never found by those for whom it is meant.

As Anargen’s story unfolds, Jason begins to wonder whether it is truly just a fable. He soon finds himself drawn into the conflict Anargen faced–a battle which has shaped and can destroy his world.

Add to Goodreads

About the Author
I’m a Christian, a writer, a full-time programmer, a husband, a dad, and quite often sleep-deprived. Not necessarily ranked in order of importance, except #1.

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Blog Tour Organized By: YA Bound Book Tours

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  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Teaser Tuesday #95 – Trials of a Teenage WereVulture by Emily Martha Sorensen @CleanYAFantasy

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Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by The Purple Booker, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

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I have been reading Emily Martha Sorensen’s wonderful stories for a while now.

Take a look at Trials of a Teenage WereVulture and you will see why.

Cover by Rebecca Frank

Trials of a Teenage Werevulture

Amazon  /  Goodreads

MY TEASE

“Oh,” she said. She sounded disappointed. “That’s not really a clan. That’s, like…a club. You might as well join Were Scouts.”

(24% on Kindle)

MY REVIEW

Looking for a fun, paranormal story about a young girl coming of age in the wereworld? Look no further.

Something’s wrong. The turning wasn’t what Lisette hoped for. Her wings are all wrong. She’s not a werehawk, she’s a Werevulture.

She went to Werepedia to see what’s what. She’ll be going to Flyer’s Education for flying lessons.

She loved her best friend, Kegan, and didn’t judge her for being different, but when she became different too, her feelings became mixed.

What clan would accept her? Let’s go to Wereconnection.com and find out. She may be the odd man out, but I have a feeling she’ll show us how valuable she would be to any clan.

We have a vampire pumpkin, wereporcupine, wereplatypus, werebutterfly, weretrees….and all the normal vampires, centaurs, mermaids and such.

Her instincts are good and we will find out how good as she investigates the Rarity Clan, who wanter her to join up with them.

It is Emily Martha Sorensen’s ability to surprise me with her creative writing and smiles throughout, even in the tough times, that keeps me reading her work. She has a wonderful ability to create such marvelous characters.

We can anticipate many things to come, but Trials of a Teenage WereVulture is filled with wit and humor, evil and danger. The creatures spark the imagination and I am left with a feeling we are all special in our individual ways. We all have much to offer to those who enter our lives.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Trials of a Teenage WereVulture by Emily Martha Sorensen.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB:  Lisette was expecting to be a werehawk. Now she’s a werevulture.

Sure, she can still fly, but the garbage looks delicious. And everyone’s afraid of her! Okay, everyone’s afraid of her best friend, too, but her best friend chose to be a banshee.

Then the mysterious Rarity Clan invites her to join. They offer her friendship, and the ultimate secret: how to be turned a second time so that she could choose a different species instead. She could be a werehawk, or a vampire, specter, giant, lorelei, or whatever else she pleases. There’s only one catch, and it’s a big one.

The tool that’s used to do that is a weapon that could destroy the entire city.

Now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Google Play, Kobo, and Smashwords.

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A Book For All Ages – She’s Like A Rainbow by Eileen Colucci #EileenColucci

She’s Like A Rainbow by Eileen Colucci is outside my comfort zone, but every now and then I need to shake myself up.

I have read so much murder and death, that they all began to run together and I needed a break. This ray of sunshine fit the bill.

She's like a Rainbow

Amazon  /  Goodreads

MY REVIEW

She’s Like A Rainbow by Eileen Colucci is an original and creative story that illustrates how we are more similar than different, with our own insecurities and problems dogging us. Teens and adults alike can learn a thing or two from Reema.

I had been looking for books outside my normal reading and when Eileen offered me a copy, I accepted. The cover was what first drew me in, but when I read the blurb I thought it would be a fun story.

The allusion to the legend of the White Buffalo fits Reema’s life. The baby starts out white and changes color when he gets older. Most of us are a collection of nationalities.

 Reema is a strong and determined young girl who refuses to give up on what she believes to be the truth. She shows love, patience and persistence as she seeks the answers to her questions.

All the childhood angst, plus…

The writing is wonderful and touches on many issues, such as being Muslim, and adoption.

I would highly recommend this story to people of all ages.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

“The summer I turned ten, my life took a fairy tale turn.”

So begins Reema Ben Ghazi’s tale set in Morocco, SHE’S LIKE A RAINBOW. Reema awakes one morning to find her skin has changed from whipped cream to dark chocolate. From then on, every few years she undergoes another metamorphosis, her color changing successively to red, yellow and ultimately brown. What is the cause of this strange condition and is there a cure? Does the legend of the White Buffalo have anything to do with it? As Reema struggles to find answers to these questions, she confronts the reactions of the people around her, including her strict and unsympathetic mother, Lalla Jamila; her timid younger sister, Zakia; and her two best friends, Batoul and Khalil. At the same time, she must deal with the trials of adolescence even as her friendship with Khalil turns to first love. One day, in her search for answers, Reema discovers a shocking secret – she may have been adopted at birth. As a result, Reema embarks on a quest to find her birth mother that takes her from twentieth-century Rabat to post-9/11 New York.

Reema’s humanity shines through her story, reminding us of all we have in common regardless of our particular cultural heritage. SHE’S LIKE A RAINBOW, which will appeal to Teens as well as Adults, raises intriguing questions about identity and ethnicity.

ABOUT EILEEN COLUCCI

Eileen ColucciA native New Yorker, Eileen Colucci has been living in Rabat with her Moroccan husband for the past thirty-plus years. She is a former teacher and recently retired after twenty-eight years as a translator with the U.S. Embassy, Rabat. Her articles and short stories have appeared in various publications and ezines including Fodor’s Morocco, Parents’ Press, The New Dominion and Expat Women. SHE’S LIKE A RAINBOW, which was recently published, is her second novel.

Colucci holds a BA in French and English from the University at Albany and an MA in Education from Framingham State University.

When not writing, Colucci enjoys practicing yoga, taking long walks and playing with her chocolate Labrador Retriever, Phoebo. Now that she and her husband have four grandchildren, they spend as much time as possible in Virginia with their two sons and their families.

Author Links:  WebsiteGoodreads

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Giveaway – A Strange Companion by Lisa Manterfield @lisamanterfield @KathyHabel

A Strange Companion by Lisa Manterfield

Kat Richardson isn’t running away from grief; she’s just hiding out in a gloomy Welsh university town until she’s sure it’s gone. Now, one year, nine months, and 27 days after the climbing death of her first love, Gabe, she thinks she’s ready to venture out into the relationship world again. And Owen—a cake-baking, Super Ball-making chemistry student—appears to be a kind, funny, and very attractive option.

But the arrival of Kat’s newly adopted niece, Mai, forces her home to northern England, where she runs headfirst into all the memories of Gabe she’s tried to leave behind—and discovers that Mai stirs up an unnerving feeling of déjà vu. Before long, Kat’s logical, scientific beliefs about life after death are in battle with what she feels to be true—that reincarnation is real and Gabe has come back to her through Mai. The question now, is why?

Taking on the topics of love, loss, and how we deal with grief, A Strange Companion is a twisted love triangle among the living, the dead, and the reincarnated.

Excerpt

I ran my hand along the log, waiting for my fingers to find the small indentations I knew would be there. They didn’t. The initials and the heart that Gabe had carved into the bark of the log now lay beneath a smooth carpet of moss, as if our love was something lost to the past. I pressed my finger into the moss but not a single tear would come. I simply sat there on the log and remembered.
Grief, apparently, had a mind of its own. It had snuck up on me in unexpected places, but now that I needed it, it would not do my bidding. I pushed up off the log, wiping at my dry eyes. I would be home for three full weeks, plenty of time to go looking for grief. My hometown was filled with memories of Gabe and I’d keep looking until I found them all.

 

Praise for the Book

“This beautiful blend of heartbreak, finding one’s self, grief, forgiveness, loss, and second chances, is a perfect rainy day read. I cannot say enough good things about this book! Read it with a box of tissues, as you will cry your eyes out.” ~The Reading Wolf

Author Lisa Manterfield
Lisa Manterfield is the award-winning author I’m Taking My Eggs and Going Home: How One Woman Dared to Say No to Motherhood. Her work has appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, Los Angeles Times, and Psychology Today. Originally from northern England, she now lives in Southern California with her husband and over-indulged cat. A Strange Companion is her first novel.

Website * Twitter * Facebook

amazon or paypal$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

Ends 4/28/17

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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YA Graphic Novel – Finding Molly by Justine Prado #FindingMolly @YABoundToursPR

I used to read comic books as a kid, but haven’t read many graphic novels recently.

This one sounded too good to pass up, so…

Finding Molly: An Adventure in Catsitting
by Justine Prado
Illustrated by Jenn St-Onge
Genre: YA Graphic Novel
Release Date: January 2017
Emet Comics

Summary from Goodreads:

Finding Molly: An Adventure in Catsitting is a graphic novel about Molly Sanchez-Talebi, an unemployed art school grad who hesitantly starts catsitting to pay the bills. She dreams of breaking out of suburbia and her artistic rut, but she has a lot of self-discovery to do before that happens. The comic follows her funny misadventures as she learns that maybe these (sometimes) friendly felines are just what she needs to get her life on track. 

Add to Goodreads

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