Showing posts with label Fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fantasy. Show all posts

Thursday, May 12, 2016

BOOK BLITZ: The Neverland Wars by Audrey Greathouse {EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY}


Hello, everyone!! Today, I am hosting a Book Blitz for The Neverland Wars By Audrey Greathouse on my blog!! Let's go ahead and dive right in! Hope you enjoy!

27396942The Neverland Wars by Audrey Greathouse
Genre: YA Fantasy/ Fairytale Retelling
Release Date: May 9th 2016
Clean Teen Publishing
Click HERE to go to it's Goodreads page.

Summary from Goodreads:
Magic can do a lot—give you flight, show you mermaids, help you taste the stars, and… solve the budget crisis? That's what the grown-ups will do with it if they ever make it to Neverland to steal its magic and bring their children home.
However, Gwen doesn't know this. She's just a sixteen-year-old girl with a place on the debate team and a powerful crush on Jay, the soon-to-be homecoming king. She doesn't know her little sister could actually run away with Peter Pan, or that she might have to chase after her to bring her home safe. Gwen will find out though—and when she does, she'll discover she's in the middle of a looming war between Neverland and reality.
She'll be out of place as a teenager in Neverland, but she won't be the only one. Peter Pan's constant treks back to the mainland have slowly aged him into adolescence as well. Soon, Gwen will have to decide whether she's going to join impish, playful Peter in his fight for eternal youth… or if she's going to scramble back to reality in time for the homecoming dance. 




Buy Links:


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Audrey GreathouseAudrey Greathouse is a Seattle-based author of science-fiction and fantasy. Raised in the suburbs, she became a writer after being introduced to NaNoWriMo during her sophmore year of high school. Since then, she has drafted more than a dozen books, 100 sonnets, and 800 other poems, and a handful of short stories and one-act plays.

After dropping out of her university and beginning training as a circus performer on the aerial silks, she returned to school to study at Southern New Hampshire University College of Online and Continuing Education to earn her B.A. in English Language and Literature, with a minor in Computer Information Technologies.

Audrey Greathouse is a die-hard punk cabaret fan, and pianist of fourteen years. She's usually somewhere along the west coast, and she is always writing.
Author Links:
WebsiteGoodreadsTwitterFacebook

ADVANCE PRAISE


"Gwen's description of growing up and high school life is one of the most accurate that I've ever read." (Across the Bookiverse)

"The author creates such a peaceful and serene place that it felt likeescape just reading about it...Through this world, the author explores the themes of what it means to grow up." (K.E. Carson, The Underground)

Help support The Neverland Wars on the Thunderclap app! http://thndr.me/jC4wXi

EXCERPT
They landed and moved slowly through the jungle for the last few hundred feet, giving Peter time to explain to Gwen as she walked at his side.
If you’ve never met a mermaid before, there are a few things you should know about them.”
Like what?”
Like they are the most cunning and conniving creatures you will ever cross paths with.”
Really?” Gwen asked, astounded. “I would have thought mermaids would be… I don’t know, beautiful and sweet.”
Sirens, all of them. They’ll do anything to get what they want. Mermaids have no qualms about the means to the end, so long as it’s their end they get to.”
Well, what do they want?”
It’s always some kind of troublenot that they’ll ever tell you what they want.”
Peter barreled through a clump of vines, hanging low in his way. Gwen followed after him, her curiosity compounding with every moment. “Are they dangerous then?”
Terribly,” Peter responded. “So there are three rules for whenever you confront
mermaids. First, don’t get too near to them; second, don’t get too close to them; and third, don’t ever get in the water with them.”
Alright. Easy enough,” Gwen said, wondering if there was a working difference between the first and second rule.
The best thing to remember,” Peter continued, “is that mermaids will never tell you what they’re after, and it’s best to assume it’s something dastardly. Whatever they want from you, whatever they want you to do, just don’t.”
Well, if they’re so terrible, why are we going to meet with them?” Gwen asked, not seeing what good could come of the encounter.
Because mermaids know things, and they can learn things you and I couldn’t ever possibly learn, even if someone spent a hundred years trying to teach usand they have information right now that I need.”
Peter caught sight of a papaya tree and reached up to pick its fruit. It seemed impossible  for Peter to pass up ripe fruit, so he beckoned to Gwen and filled her satchel with a few. He found a mango tree, and tossed Gwen a few of those fruits as well.
Will the mermaids tell you?” Gwen asked. “If you’re so bent on thwarting them, what’s to stop them from giving you misinformation to spite you?”
They’re very easy to coerce,” Peter said, his mouth full of mango, “and the one good thing about mermaids is they can’t lie.”
They can’t?”
Nope. Not even a tiny white lie. Mermaids don’t go against their word, and they stick to the bargains they strike. But that makes them even more dangerous, obviously.”
Gwen didn’t see how that was obvious at all. If anything, it seemed like that would make them less of a threat, but there wasn’t time to press the conversation further. They broke the tree line and found themselves on the edge of a small cliff. Crude steps carved into the cliff's face led down to a rocky lagoon. Below, the beautiful bay of blue-green water was so clear and still that it was easy to make out the silhouettes of the slender, aquatic nymphs swimming beneath the surface.
GIVEAWAY!
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Friday, April 15, 2016

REVIEW: Forests of the Fae: Devlin's Door By K. Kibbee {3.5 STARS}




Review: Forests of the Fae: Devlin's Door By K. Kibbee
Series: It's a part of a series! Next book comes out in September!
Published By:  Incorgnito Publishing Press
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery
Format: E-Book
Pages:  236 pages
Release Date: January 15, 2016
RATING:   3.5 STARS
Check this book out on Goodreads!
Synopsis from Goodreads:
When thirteen-year-old Anne is sent to spend the summer with her dreadful relatives in a small Washington state town, she is left with little hope that anything intriguing will happen to her. However, when she learns of an abandoned town full of old Victorian homes hidden in the woods nearby, she embraces the lore and becomes bolstered by the idea that an adventure might await.

Her sadistic cousin Lexie feeds Anne's curiosity and leads her to the mysterious town in the woods, where Anne is goaded by her cousin and friends to enter one of the abandoned homes, alone, and is locked inside.

While searching for a way out, Anne stumbles through a hole in the floor and unknowingly falls into an ominous, ghost-filled mystery. As she digs deeper into the secrets of this house, she discovers a weathered journal that reveals a magic-infused history hundreds of years old and a tragic secret: a curse has trapped the town and its inhabitants in a place not meant to be found by humans.

Treacherous fairies, dark worlds-within-our-world, dangerous creatures and a shocking truth all await Anne as page by page, she peels back the mysteries of this chilling town.
 



         From the second I opened this book, I was pulled in. I absolutely love K. Kibbee's take on the entire Fae world. It really pulls the reader in and makes the reader carious about what will happen next. The ending of this was phenomenal. PHENOMENAL! It completely caught me off guard! Kibbee gives this sense that everything is going to be okay at the end. But, then shes like, you thought. This book is actually part of a series! The second book comes out in September and it's called, The Raven Queen! I seriously can't wait!!  Not only would I like to see more of this world from Kibee, I would also just like to in general like to see more writing from her! ;D

          This story follows Anne, a thirteen year old who is spending her summer break with some of her relatives. On the train ride there a boy tells her the story of Nowhere Town, a town that supposedly in the past was  once full of people, one day is suddenly disserted. Not a person in sight, still empty of people, and still full of the previous owners belongings. Let's just say everybody stays clear of Nowhere town. No one still really knows why the people went up and left. This pokes at Anne's curiosity and decides that eventually she will visit and investigate the so called Nowhere town. She gets her chance to investigate when her cousin and her cousin friends invite her to tag along. They end up abandoning her there in a house that they succeeded in locking. Anne, left all alone, begins to look for a way out, while also looking at what is in the house. She stumbles across a journal that dates back to the 1920's. As she reads through the journal, entry by entry, the mysterious Nowhere Town comes to life.
         I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book in exchange for a honest review.

Thanks so much for reading!!
Have you read this? Your thoughts?  Tell me down in the comments!


If you would like to see more of my blog in the future, you can either follow Bloglovin, or email!
I will also be posting a giveaway once I reach 150 followers on Bloglovin!!



Saturday, April 9, 2016

Short Review: Unhooked By Lisa Maxwell {2 Stars}

Short Review: Unhooked By Lisa Maxwell {2 Stars}

Series: Stand Alone
Published By: Simon Pulse
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings
Format: Hardcover
Pages:  342 pages
Release Date: February 2, 2016
RATING:  2 STARS
Check this book out on Goodreads!
Synopsis from Goodreads:
For as long as she can remember, Gwendolyn Allister has never had a place to call home—all because her mother believes that monsters are hunting them. Now these delusions have brought them to London, far from the life Gwen had finally started to build for herself. The only saving grace is her best friend, Olivia, who’s coming with them for the summer.

But when Gwen and Olivia are kidnapped by shadowy creatures and taken to a world of flesh-eating sea hags and dangerous Fey, Gwen realizes her mom might have been sane all along.

The world Gwen finds herself in is called Neverland, yet it’s nothing like the stories. Here, good and evil lose their meaning and memories slip like water through her fingers. As Gwen struggles to remember where she came from and find a way home, she must choose between trusting the charming fairy-tale hero who says all the right things and the roguish young pirate who promises to keep her safe.

With time running out and her enemies closing in, Gwen is forced to face the truths she’s been hiding from all along. But will she be able to save Neverland without losing herself?
 

        Going into this I was looking really forward to this story and getting to see a spin on the Peter Pan story. It has been forever and a day since I have been able to read a Peter Pan retelling. So, I was really looking forward to reading this. However, I was left pretty disappointed by it. I probably had way to high expectations for this and that is probably what ruined it for me. It was very predictable, and the main character Gwen got on my nerves a little. She acted weak and kept making obviously stupid decisions. When people were in trouble she just stood there. Gwen was probably what ruined the book the most for me out of everything else I had a problem with in this book.

        The plot overall was okay, the only problem I had with it was that is was extremely predicable. I had pretty much correctly predicted what was going to happen in the entire book by around page 100.

         I like the overall thought of this book, but I just think it lacked in some aspects.Even though I didn't really enjoy this one I still say go for this book if you are interested in reading it! ;D  This book made me want to read more Peter Pan retelling! ;D If you have any suggestions, tell me in the comments!!

Thanks so much for reading!!
Have you read this? Your thoughts?  Tell me down in the comments!




If you would like to see more of my blog in the future, you can either follow Bloglovin, or email!
I will also be posting a giveaway once I reach 150 followers on Bloglovin!!


Friday, March 18, 2016

BLOG TOUR: Winter Queen By Amber Argyle {GIVEAWAY }

BLOG TOUR: Winter Queen By Argyle {GIVEAWAY}
Hello, everybody! I am so excited to be part of the blog tour! This is my first ever blog tour that I have participated in! Let's dive right in! Also, thanks so much to the author who gave me a copy in exchange for a honest review! :D


Series: Fairy Queen Series

Published By: Starling Publishing

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, and Young Adult

Format: E-Book

Pages:  254 pages
RATING: 4 STARS
Check this book out on Goodreads!
Synopsis from Goodreads:~Becoming a winter queen will make Ilyenna as cold and cruel and deadly as winter itself, but it might be the only way to save her people from a war they have no hope of winning.~

Mortally wounded during a raid, seventeen-year-old Ilyenna is healed by winter fairies who present her with a seductive offer: become one of them and share their power over winter. But that power comes with a price. If she accepts, she will become a force of nature, lose her humanity, and abandon her family.

Unwilling to pay such a high price, Ilyenna is enslaved by one of the invaders, Darrien. While in captivity, she learns the attack wasn’t just a simple raid but part of a larger plot to overthrow her entire nation.

With the enemy stealing over the mountains and Darrien coming to take her to his bed, Ilyenna must decide whether to resurrect the power the fairies left behind. Doing so will allow her to defeat Darrien and the other invaders, but if she embraces winter, she will lose herself to that destroying power—forever.
 




                                                        About the Author

Amber Argyle is the number-one bestselling author of the Witch Song Series and the Fairy Queen Series. Her books have been nominated for and won awards in addition to being translated into French and Indonesian.

Amber graduated cum laude from Utah State University with a degree in English and physical education, a husband, and a two-year old. Since then, she and her husband have added two more children, which they are actively trying to transform from crazy small people into less crazy larger people.


To receive Amber Argyle’s starter library for free (4 books!), simply tell her where to send it: http://eepurl.com/l8fl1

       This books took a second for me to really get into, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. As the story began to develop, I became more and more intrigued by it. I really love Amber Argyle's writing style, story telling, and world building. Lets also talk about that cover! It's stunning!

       This book follows the perspective of Ilyenna, clanmistress of the Shyle. When the Tryans had attacked friends of the Shyle, they send their men to help. When they come back, with both men from both tribes injured, the Shyle people are overwhelmed. One day, when the Tryans attack again, Ilyenna is severly injured. Fairies come upon her, heal her, and ask her to be their queen. But, there is a catch. In order to be queen, she will have to forfeit her humanity. When she decides to be part of her life a little longer, she is enslaved by the Tyrans. This story follows her, her fight to stop the Darrien's advances towards her, and her fight to save the her people and herself.

          The overall pace of this story was fantastic. It didn't go too slow nor too fast. Also, what's really great about this story is that it is action packed. There wasn't a second that something wasn't happening. There is a lot of violence in this book, however. That aspect didn't really bother me, but if you don't necessarily like a lot of violence in books, I would say go in with caution.

          The characters were well created and they were just amazing. I absolutely loved how strong and caring Ilyenna is. I love Rone too! He is so sweet and nice! How could you not?!? I was in constant awe on how much Ilyenna helped others no matter how badly they may of treated her, and how Rone would always put Ilyenna before himself. I just absolutely love the relationship between the two!

          This overall was a fantastic read! I have completely fallen in love with Amber Argyle's writing and will definitely be checking out the rest of this series and her other books as well!





This Tour is organized by...

CHECK OUT THE OTHER SITES PARTICPATING IN THIS TOUR
Blog Tour Schedule – Winter Queen

March 14th
Crossroad Reviews    www.crossroadreviews.com  Review
Heroine With a Thousand Faces    http://heroinek.com    Review

March 15th
reading to unwind    http://readingtounwind.blogspot.com   Review
Book Briefs    http://bookbriefs.net    Review
Zerina Blossom's Books    http://zerinablossom.blogspot.com/    Review
happy tails and tales   http://happytailsandtales.blogspot.com   Review

March 16th
History from a Woman's Perspective      http://www.historywomanperspective.com    Review
The Page Unbound    http://www.thepageunbound.com/   Review
La Tartaruga Si Muove   http://latartarugasimuove.blogspot.it   Review

March 17th
Literary Musings   http://literarymusing.weebly.com    Review
The Voluptuous Book Diva   http://voluptuousbookdiva.blogspot.com Review
Kariny's teen boox frenzy  https://karinysteenbooxfrenz.blogspot.com/  Review

March 18th
Cover2Cover     https://chocomeiske.wordpress.com   Review
Maybe Books Will Be Our Always   http://maybebookswillbeouralways.blogspot.com/ Review
Mama Reads Hazel Sleeps     http://mamareniazen.wordpress.com  Review

The semi short chic   http://Semishort.blogspot.com    Review

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Review: A Fierce and Subtle Poison By Samantha Mabry {2 Stars}


Review: A Fierce and Subtle Poison By Samantha Mabry



Series: (Stand Alone)
Published By: Algonquin Young Readers
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, and Magical Realism
Format: Paperback
RATING:  Stars
Pages: 288 pages

SYNOPSIS (from Goodreads)
Everyone knows the legends about the cursed girl--Isabel, the one the seƱoras whisper about. They say she has green skin and grass for hair, and she feeds on the poisonous plants that fill her family’s Caribbean island garden. Some say she can grant wishes; some say her touch can kill.

Seventeen-year-old Lucas lives on the mainland most of the year but spends summers with his hotel-developer father in Puerto Rico. He’s grown up hearing stories about the cursed girl, and he wants to believe in Isabel and her magic. When letters from Isabel begin mysteriously appearing in his room the same day his new girlfriend disappears, Lucas turns to Isabel for answers--and finds himself lured into her strange and enchanted world. But time is running out for the girl filled with poison, and the more entangled Lucas becomes with Isabel, the less certain he is of escaping with his own life.
 


2 Star Rating: It was okay, but it lacked in some aspects.

     I really love the whole idea of this book. I love how original it is and the idea of a girl with green skin, grass for hair, and a touch that could kill sounds pretty freaking awesome. I was really looking forward to this. But, when we are finally introduced to the "cursed girl," Isabel, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Her character and overall personality just didn't really do it for me. I can't really explain it! There is just something about her... Also, Lucas didn't really do it for me either. Pretty much all the characters in this book had me feel this way. I can't explain it. Also, it was kind of weird how the two interacted with each other within like the first day of meeting. The way she talked to him, as if she has been friends with him for a long time. Within like the second day she was talking about him always doing this and that, etc. It was just stuck out as weird to me the way they would talk to each other sometimes.

       Now for the plot! I think overall the plot was pretty good. I love how unpredictable it is and how you never really know what is going to happen next. Like I have said about 3,000 times in this review, I think the idea of this book is awesome, and pretty original. This book, however, I think lacks in some aspects. It never really goes into depth about anything in this book, and the pacing was too fast at times. IT tends to jump around a lot. It never really stays in one scene for long. The duration of those scenes are over too fast, and it just left me wishing that the book dwelled longer in some parts of the book.

           Overall, this book was okay but, it lacked in some aspects.

Have you read this, your thoughts?


       A special thanks to Algonquin Young Readers who gave me this book in exchange for an honest review!!


If you would like to see more of my blog in the future, you can either follow Bloglovin, or email!
I will also be posting a giveaway once I reach 150 followers on Bloglovin!!!


Friday, March 4, 2016

REVIEW: The Hobbit By J.R.R. Tolkien

REVIEW: The Hobbit By J.R.R. Tolkien




Published By: Houghton Mifflin
Genres: Fantasy, Classic, and Adventure
Format: Hardcover
RATING: 4.5 Stars

Pages: 366 pages
Check this book out on Goodreads.
Synopsis (from Goodreads)
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a obbit-hole, and that means comfort.
Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent. The text in this 372-page paperback edition is based on that first published in Great Britain by Collins Modern Classics (1998), and includes a note on the text by Douglas A. Anderson (2001). Unforgettable!
         I am a huge fan of the Hobbit movies so, this is a no brainer for me that I had to read this book. And... I absolutely loved this book. At first I was a bit wary of Tolkien's writing style, but I eventually fell in love of it. Tolkien writing style is very different than anything I have read before, and it kind of took me a second to really get into it. I had to really give the time to get the grasp of it. But once I hot used to his writing style I couldn't put it down and have completely fallen love with his writing. After reading this I am totally considering reading his Lord of the Rings trilogy. Don't kill, but before I had absolutely no interest in reading his Lord of the Rings trilogy. Now that I am familiar with his writing style I can't wait to read them!

         Let's start first with the characters! I overall loved all the characters! I love learning more in depth about some of them. I have found a new love for Balin. I love how caring, and kind he is. When his peers were wary of Bilbo and weren't very fond of him, he still was very kind to Bilbo. I absolutely admired that. When Bilbo had to go into Smaug's lair, Balin offered to go most of the way with him when the others would not. As the story progressed, you really got to see more about him and his personality. Which, I think the movie adaptations did a bit of a poor job of. I can definitely say that he is my favorite character in this book. Now for Bilbo, I actually didn't really like him at first. His constant complaining really irritated me and just added fuel to my dislike towards him. But as the story continued, we got to see Bilbo change from a hobbit who preferred to be a hermit and spend most of his time in his hole to an intelligent, adventurous hobbit. By the end of the book, my dislike towards him had subsided. Lastly, I love how I got to see what happened to some of the characters. In the movie, it didn't really go into detail about what happened to some of the characters and some stuff you just had to assume what possibly happened to them. Like for example, by the end of the movie I just assumed that Thorin's cousin Dalin took control of a certain something, but after reading this some stuff was confirmed and I figured out answers to my other questions. I think the most surprising was Bard's future. It was a total shocker!!

           There was some stuff that I didn't like about this book. The book tended (sometimes) to change perspectives out of the blue with no indication that the perspective were changing. So one second I'm thinking I am inside the mind of Bilbo then all of a sudden he starts saying weird things that just wouldn't make sense coming from his perspective but, then I would realize oh... now I am in the mind of the dragon, Smaug. The other one being that I wished that the book hadn't sped through so fast during the Battle of the Five Armies. It all happened in a span of what felt like two or three pages, and I just wish that I could of read more about it and wished it didn't go so fast. What there was of the battle was also, kind of confusing and I was just left confused about of what just happened. I also wish I could of read about how certain people got injured, etc. Lastly, I wish that there was more of the Wood-elves. That part of the book that they appeared in happened really fast and they did not appear for long. I was really looking forward about seeing them, and was just a little disappointed by that.

             Even, though that there was some stuff I wished would had more of, overall this book was phenomenal!! The Hobbit has definitely made it into one of my favorite books and I totally recommend it to everybody! It is quite the adventure!!!
Extra! Here is a picture that I just found funny!

If you would like to see more of my blog in the future, you can either follow Bloglovin, or email!
I will also be posting a giveaway once I reach 150 followers on Bloglovin!!!