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Showing posts with label angels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label angels. Show all posts

Monday, March 28, 2016

Gabriel by Nikki Kelly

Despite my minor issues with the first book of this series, I thought I would give it another try. I thought the first book had too many clichés and the writing lacked a bit of maturity, but personally, Gabriel exceeded my expectation. The writing improved, the story and the world felt a little more developed and I enjoyed getting to know the characters a little bit more.

Lailah might not be my favourite heroine, but she is quite interesting. As a half vampire and half angel hybrid there's still a lot to learn about her abilities and her destiny. The love triangle that existed in the first book is only somewhat present now because for some mysterious reason, Lailah can't remember anything about Jonah. She remembers her angel pair Gabriel just fine, and she hasn't forgotten anything about other vampires, but for some odd reason, she can't recall anything about the vampire Jonah. Which is sad because Jonah was the most interesting character in the first book, in my opinion. On the other hand, Gabriel is moody and I feel like he's hiding so many things from Lailah that he can't really be trusted. As much as I liked Gabriel in the first book, I didn't like him in this one.

Gabriel was a character building book, where we learn more about the main characters, especially about Gabriel and Lailah. Despite their strong feeling for one another, they are still conflicted about their relationship, mostly because both of them have a hard time accepting Lailah's dark vampire side. Lailah refuses to drink blood despite weakening from lack of it, and Gabriel is too oblivious to realize that by ignoring Lailah's hunger, she's only hurting herself. Lailah has a long way to go before she fully accepts who she is, what she's capable of, and what she will do with her abilities. As for Jonah, Lailah still feels something but has not memory of their past. She feels responsible for Jonah and would do anything to help him, because she know he would do the same for her. Despite his bad boy persona, Jonah is very likeable. Especially when you compare him to Gabriel in this book.

I'm a sucker for a good story about good vs. evil, and this series definitely delivers that. Lailah might be the one to balance out good and evil, but this war has been going on for many centuries. A young band of generational vampire hunters join the fight and although they might be a little naive when it comes to the origin of vampires, they are still trying to do the right thing, for the most part. The author throws us quite a twist when it comes to these hunters, which I definitely didn't see coming.

Gabriel is an easy to read, fast paced book. I like this book more than the first one, probably because so many of my questions were answered. I also appreciate the fact the author refined her writing so that the story doesn't feel as rushed anymore. Lovers of paranormal romance will appreciate this one, but make sure to be prepared for a love triangle, strong feelings and complicated characters.

stephsig moon

Thursday, November 05, 2015

The A-Word by Joy Preble

This light and fun read is the sequel to The Sweet Dead Life.  If you haven't read that one yet, you might want to check out that review first!

It's been about a year since Jenna and her brother were in their car accident, which resulted in Casey becoming an angel.  Together with angel Amber Velasquez, they solved the Renfrew mystery, healing Jenna and her mom.  Things should be back to normal, right?  But Casey is still here on earth (no promotion for saving Jenna), and he's been "grounded" for using his wings.  Their father is still living mostly in Austin, and might even be seeing another woman.  Even worse:  Casey and Amber have started feeling a "spidey sense" that something is most definitely wrong.  But what?

The best part of this book:  the author's growth since the last book!  You might remember that I wasn't thrilled with some of the writing in The Sweet Dead Life.  The writing in The A-Word is so much better!  The primary characters are more 3D and real and mature.  The characters' actions and conversations feel more age-appropriate too.  In the first book, Jenna's speech and mannerisms seemed much more suited to a high schooler than a middle schooler; in this book she actually is a high schooler, and acting like one.  There was also a ton of putting-down of her brother in the first book and lots of drug references; in this sequel the brother is mostly clean, and there are only a few references to his past drug use.  This leaves a lot of room for character development and plot.

The plot in The A-Word starts right away.  There's a mystery and a sense of impending doom, and a new angel is introduced.  Jenna is struggling with being a normal teen and also trying to help the angels fight the bad in the world.  The mystery kept me guessing up until the end, and I totally enjoyed the ride.  The angels have this great snarky sense of humor, as does Jenna.  Along the way, Jenna will maintain her relationship with her best friend, Maggie (who has her own fantastically fun quirks), and maybe start a relationship with a boy.  :)

Overall, this is definitely a light YA read.  But it's so much fun!  I listened to the the audiobook during my commute and literally laughed out loud a number of times.  I recommend.

Marie

Monday, August 03, 2015

Her Dark Angel by Felicity Heaton

Honestly, as far as free e-books go, this one is good and steamy! I enjoyed it so much, I immediately purchased the next book of the series. I usually don't like novella length stories because I feel like I get cheated from long character development and back story. In this case, I simply went along for the ride and enjoyed the good paranormal romance that it is.


The hero and dark angel of this story is Apollyon and he is summoned by a witch in modern Paris. This witch, Serenity, inadvertently calls Apollyon to help her get her revenge on her ex, Edward , who cheated on her and broke her heart. Serenity's mother always told her to beware of angels, especially this one who is also known as Abaddon, the Great Destroyer. So when she first sees Apollyon, with his strong armor and majestic wings, she more or less freaks. Eventually, they gain each other's trust and begin to plan Serenity's revenge.


All Serenity wanted was to make Edward jealous. She never planned to fall for her guardian angel, although, with his incredible physique, it's kind of hard not too be attracted. More than lust develops between the two, but Serenity doubts strongly a future with Apollyon is possible, so she hides her true feelings. I loved the interactions between the two main characters. I wish we could have had more development and action, and as a whole, I was a little disappointed with the climax of the story (no pun intended). Actually, there's a lot of romance/love scenes in this story, quite a bit for a book this length. And they're very steamy! They're also very detailed but written in a classy way.


Overall,  I thought Her Dark Angel was a really good paranormal romance short, and I can't wait to meet more angels in the rest of the series. It's ebooks like these that allow you to simply get lost in a good romance with lovable characters. Her Dark Angel was a quick and easy read that was enjoyable despite its short length.


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I'm new to this series, so I was only able to provide you with a review of the first book, but the latest book in the series, was just a released a few short days ago.


Her Sinful Angel, book eight in New York Times best-seller Felicity Heaton’s hot paranormal romance series, Her Angel, was released August 1, 2015 and is now available in ebook and paperback. To celebrate the release, she’s holding a FANTASTIC GIVEAWAY on her website.hersinfulangel-barrage-button


Find out how to enter the Her Sinful Angel international giveaway (ends August 9th) and have a shot at winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate on her website, where you can also download a 5 chapter sample of the novel


Here's more about Her Sinful Angel:
hersinfulangelCast out of Heaven and now the king of Hell, Lucifer is a powerful fallen angel warrior with a heart as cold as ice and soul as black as the bottomless pit. For millennia, he has ruled his realm with an iron fist as he plots the demise of his ancient enemies. When one of those enemies dumps an unconscious mortal female in the courtyard of his fortress and leaves her there, Lucifer finds himself entranced by the beguiling beauty and tempted beyond all reason. But is the enchanting Nina an innocent pawn in the eternal game or part of a plot against him?

Tynga's Reviews is also hosting a giveaway for a copy of one book of the series. You can already grab book 1 for free at most major retailers so if you get hooked the first book like I did, now is your chance to win a copy of one the other "sinful" angels.

Read an excerpt


Purchase: Amazon



giveawayban

Felicity Heaton is also giving away one (1) ebook from this series to a reader from Tynga's Reviews. Winner gets to choose which book.


Open internationally


Ends August 9, 2015


a Rafflecopter giveaway


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About the Author

felicityheatonFelicity Heaton is a New York Times and USA Today international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books, she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! If you're a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.

If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Her Angel series.

Website │ Blog │ Facebook │ Twitter │ Goodreads


stephsig moon

Monday, June 22, 2015

Day Shift by Charlaine Harris

The more I read this series, the more I seem to fall in love with its characters. Mind you, it's only the second book of the series, but Day Shift has revealed a lot of background information about the citizens of Midnight, Texas. The more I think about it, the more I realize the series hasn't really settled with a main character. At least, not yet. It's almost as if the main character is the town, and its citizens are simply supporting the stories it's hosting.

To be quite honest, Day Shift wasn't very thrilling nor was it very engaging. I liked the book enough because I really enjoy the characters, but when it comes to the story, it's a little bit disappointing. The story really begins when Manfred is in Dallas for a working weekend in a hotel, where he plans to meet up with clients and do personal psychic readings. However, the night before he's set to start working, he notices another Midnight, Texas resident, Olivia, dining in the same hotel restaurant. He thinks little of it until the next morning when Olivia's dining companions are found dead in their hotel room. And things get even more complicated when Manfred's own client dies in the middle of the reading. The timing and the circumstances are bad for Manfred's business, especially when he is accused of murdering and stealing from his client.

As suspicions are raised, Manfred is the main focus of the murder investigation and reporters camp out in front of his house in Midnight. Along with the newly renovated and grand reopening of the Midnight Hotel, the town is getting more attention than the residents are used to. The people of Midnight like the fact that their little town is quiet and doesn't get many visitors, and all the action is making some of the residents anxious and unhappy about the unwanted publicity. Manfred and Olivia join together and decide to solve the murder, in order to get rid of the unwanted attention as soon as possible. The more they investigate, the more things get complicated and troublesome.

The main story and mystery surrounds Manfred but the other residents of the town also have their own problems to deal with. The town Reverend, simply referred to as Rev, is charged with the care of a growing boy; Joe finds himself in a situation where the only way to survive is to do something he promised long ago he wouldn't do; Olivia deals with her past and we learn more about who she is, and what she does for a living.

We also meet a few new characters who are living temporarily in the Midnight Hotel. One of these characters is actually linked to Sookie Stackhouse, the main character of Charlaine Harris' other bestselling series. With this link, we confirm our suspicions that this series is based in the same universe as the Sookie Stackhouse books. I highly doubt the author will push this link any further but it's good to know that things may get even more supernatural. Like Bon Temps, Midnight is a special town that seems to attract the supernatural, but the why of this has yet to be investigated.

Overall, I was a little bit disappointed with the main mystery but the various side stories add excitement to the book. For someone that hasn't finished Charlaine Harris' other series, I'm actually quite invested in this new one. I'm really looking forward to reading more about Midnight and its mysterious residents. Who wouldn't be attracted to a town with a witch, a vampire, a psychic, a shape-shifter, a talking cat and angels?stephsig moon

Monday, June 08, 2015

End of Days by Susan Ee

This is definitely a series you don't want to miss. If you're not into young adult books, you may change your mind after this one. If you're not too fond of books about angels, that's alright because these are not your ordinary angels and you should give them a try. If you're not crazy about post-apocalyptic worlds, this book may not be for you, but it's about so much more than that, so overlook that small aspect. What I'm trying to say is, pretty much everyone will enjoy this series because it's so original, entertaining an well written. End of Days is the last book of a trilogy that I highly recommend.

Penryn has gone through a lot in order to save and keep her family safe. She has even allied herself with the enemy by trusting and paring up with Raffe, an angel that has been trying to get his wings back. But what's worse, because she was seen killing an angel with an angel sword, which is unheard of, she now has a huge bounty on her head so she can't trust anyone, not even humans. Every fellow human could potentially be her enemy and being captured and brought to the angels would probably mean her death.

What's more, she needs to find a doctor that can help her sister, Paige. Her sister has been experimented on, cut open and put back together, and now the only way she can survive is by feeding off humans. At least Penryn and Paige's mother is back in the picture and somewhat able to help this time, instead of being a burden.

As you read the book, it becomes clearer why the angel Uriel is trying to create this fake apocalypse. He believes that in order to get elected as the Messenger, he needs to entice the angels with an apocalypse to wipe out the human race and prove his worth. The other potential candidates for the job, Raffe and Michael, have been absent from angel society, which may provide Uriel with a default win.

In my opinion, what makes this book even more special is the relationship between Penryn and Raffe. The emotional tension is definitely there and makes all their scenes together so much sweeter. Their relationship is doomed from the start because a relationship between an angel and a Daughter of Man is considered blasphemy and would make any angel Fall from angel society. As a reader, we don't give up hope, even if we see the impossibility of their relationship. I love, love these two characters together. Penryn has been such a strong character throughout the series, that I'm sad to see her go. She's the type of young adult heroines that we need to see more of. Just an ordinary girl trying to survive along with her family and the rest of humanity. Raffe is just Raffe. His mere presence makes you giddy and I wonder how Penryn is able to stay so cool around him.

Susan Ee excels in writing action scenes. She's not afraid of killing off characters, good or evil, which keeps her readers on their toes. Also, it almost feels like gore and blood is second nature in her writing because there's so much of it, and you just come to expect it. The last bit of End of Days did feel a little bit rushed, like she had so much to say in the end but didn't have enough room for everything.

I really wish there would be more, but all good things must come to an end. It's amazing how this series started off as a small book from a small publisher and it grew into such a big thing. It might have something to do with luck but it's mainly because of a great plot, exceptional characters and great writing. I highly recommend this one!

stephsig moon

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor

Warning!  Dreams of Gods & Monsters is the finale to a trilogy.  Check out Tynga's review of Daughter of Smoke & Bone and my review of Days of Blood & Starlight by clicking on the titles to avoid series spoilers!

Starcrossed lovers Karou (a monster) and Akiva (an angel) join forces in a new and unique twist on the classic good vs. evil battle.  Angels are descending on Rome in battalions, thousands of angels, through a tear in the sky.  Concurrently, Eliza, a genetics researcher, is called to Morocco to investigate what appears to be a mass grave full of unnatural monsters.  Karou has managed a great deception and set up a puppet leader of the chimaera.  Through him, she's able to unite the misbegotten and the chimaera to battle the invading seraphim.  Yes-- that's the great twist on the classic good vs. evil battle:  in Dreams of Gods & Monsters, angels are seen as a malevolent invading force and the monsters (chimaera) are the good defenders!

As with the first two books, the characters are so incredibly rich.  The reader literally gets inside many of the character's minds, so we see firsthand their struggles and doubts and confidences.   This series is solidly YA; we can be sure which characters are "good guys" and which ones are the "bad guys."  But they're still more complex than that.  Karou is definitely a "good guy," but we see her struggle with battle plans, knowing that some of her kind may perish.  And although Akiva is on Karou's side, the reader can feel his confliction, going against his own kind.  By the end of the book I was nearly crying and/or cheering out loud!

Speaking of characters, of course we must talk about Zuzana and Mick!  How could anyone not love this brave pair?  They are fully human, and don't always understand what's going on, but they are always always always ready to stand by Karou's side.  Even when that leads to a serious lack of chocolate cake in Zuzana's life.  Ya'll, I have never shipped two characters as much as I ship them!  I haven't yet read Night of Cake & Puppets, but I plan to asap.

Not only is Laini Taylor good at developing characters for us to love, she's also a top-notch world-builder.  You might think it'd be hard to wrap your mind around a world populated by creatures composed of many different species (such as a gray wolf head on a human body, or a jaguar body with a human head and bat wings), a world lived mostly deep inside a system of caves, but the author does such fantastic descriptions that you can really picture yourself there.

So, the plot.  Here's where Dreams of Gods & Monsters lost one of it's five stars for me.  The final battle did not go as I expected it to.  I felt like it fell a little flat compared to all the build-up.  I also felt like there were a few loose ends, or tenuous connections, at the end, considering that it's a series finale.  It wasn't too terrible; if you're already invested from reading Daughter of Smoke & Bone and Days of Blood & Starlight, you should definitely still read Dreams of Gods & Monsters... but just be prepared.

And finally, the narration:  I listened to Dreams of Gods & Monsters on CD and the narration was great!  The narrator had good, clear annunciation and pacing.  The production quality was great; I never had to fiddle with the volume.  I never tuned out.  And the narrator did a great accent for Zuzana and Mick.

This is such a unique, well-written trilogy, and I definitely recommend to folks at work (and now to you too)!

Marie

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Oracle of Philadelphia by Elizabeth Corrigan



This book was such a lovely surprise!  I've only read a few other urban fantasy novels.  Guess what?  I think I can say now that I am most certainly an urban fantasy fan!  I couldn't put Oracle of Philadelphia down!   




Some things I loved about the book:



  1. The characters and their depth.  I want to be friends with Carrie and Bedlam!  Mostly Carrie, because I think Bedlam could feel like a bit much after hanging out for awhile, but I think he'd be a ton of fun in small doses.  See what I mean about character depth?  Just one book into the series and I can tell that Bedlam could possibly be tiring, but I'm still drawn to his magnetic "lets everyone have fun together always" personality.  And Carrie:  so, so, so caring!  She even cares for/looks after Bedlam.  For millenia.  Carrie feels very "real" to me.  She's not perfect.  Even though she's lives thousands (millions?) of years, she still makes the occasional mistake.  She still thinks with her heart and not with her head sometimes.

  2. The writing.  It was most excellent.  Rich.  Does that make sense to ya'll?  The writing in Oracle was like a fantastic lavender creme brulee.  (For comparison, I'd say my own writing on this blog is about on par with Cheez Doodles.)  Ms. Corrigan used the word phonemes for pete's sake!  I love vocab-building books.  I'm totally trying to work "phoneme" into ordinary conversation right now.  It's also got this fantastic balance going between hilarity with Bedlam and seriousness in trying to save Sebastian.  Just as the book starts to feel really heavy, Bedlam swoops in to top his waffles with chopped jalapenos.

  3. The humanity of Gabriel, Michael, and Bedlam.  I'm a Christian, so I'm sorta familiar with the angels and demons and all that, but not too familiar.  I too always imagined angels to be these vaguely human beings with wings who glowed.  Much loftier than you or I.  In Oracle the angels stop by the diner to say hi and help do some dishes.  Mind. Blown.

  4. The Biblical backstories.  I loved these!  Every time Ms. Corrigan introduced a new character, she let Carrie reminisce on how they met.  Some of these were downright hilarious; some touched the heart.  Remember: it's all fiction and it's all for fun, so you're definitely not going to find these narratives in Biblical texts.  Did anyone else read Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore?  Bedlam and Biff could have been best friends.

  5. The character list at the beginning of the book.  Ms. Corrigan lists all the angels & demons & their main attributes & where they are in social standing.  Most helpful.  I looked at Raising Chaos (the sequel), and the chart is there too.  Excellent.


Some things I didn't particularly care for about the book, but which will not at all impede me continuing to read and enjoy the series:

  1. The demons' demonosity (just made that word up) is really downplayed a lot.  I'm struggling with how to word this; how to say this.  I just expected them to be a lot more evil.  Like, I actually liked Bedlam for the most part.  And that made me feel just a little squeevy inside.

  2. The bit in the second half of the book where Carrie goes a-questing.  I don't want to give anything away in the book because I really do think ya'll should go read it.  It's really good.  But there's a point where Carrie goes on a quest to help someone and it just gets a little bit predictable/repetitious.   Just a tiny bit.  I dealt with it by just continuing to read because it's a good book and I was hooked.  So you see, not really terribly bad, but still.  I could have done with just a little bit less quest.


So that's my take on Oracle of Philadelphia by Elizabeth Corrigan.  I devoured the book in just two days (impressive, considering I work full time)!

Thursday, January 08, 2015

The Sweet Dead Life by Joy Preble

I was literally laughing out loud by the end of page 1 of this book!  It has a really strong start, with a main character who has that snark that I love so much.  However, I finished the book slightly conflicted.

The Sweet Dead Life reads as a series of journal entries by the main character, Jenna.  She's 14, in 8th grade, and possibly dying.  This journal (this book) is her way of recounting events that transpire.  Jenna has been sick and getting sicker for a few weeks now.  Unfortunately, her mom is deeply depressed and her older teen brother is always high and she's only in 8th grade and unable to take herself to the doctor.  One afternoon, Jenna passes out and her brother decides it's time to go to the hospital.  When Jenna wakes up in the hospital after surviving a major car wreck, her brother is suddenly beatified.  His skin has cleared up and he's standing up straighter.  And he's being nice to her.  How weird.  Turns out:  he didn't survive the car wreck with her, and he's now an angel.  (This isn't a spoiler; it's in the summary on the back of the book.)

Things that I love about The Sweet Dead Life:  Jenna's dry sense of humor.  I'm talking Sahara Desert dry here.  I love it!  As I mentioned before, I was literally chuckling out loud.  I also love the sibling/family dynamic in the book.  Joy Preble manages to show how much the siblings love each other and their mom while still keeping it all real.  They occasionally get frustrated with each other, but they always have each other's backs and will do whatever it takes to keep the family together and afloat.  I also love that this book shows teens dealing with a parent with mental illness.  Jenna and Casey's mom is so depressed that she literally cannot get out of bed some days.  She's stopped cooking and cleaning and working.  This is, unfortunately, a reality that some teens are living.  It's nice to have books that reflect that.

Some things that turned me off just a little:  Jenna's language and independence.  She's only 14 and in 8th grade, but I kept picturing her closer to 16 or 17.  She has the mouth of a sailor!  Realistically, I don't see myself recommending this book to many middle schoolers.  So I kind of wish the main character was solidly high school to more closely match her personality and language.  I also got a little weary of the drug references.  Jenna repeatedly references Casey's affinity for marijuana.  Like, every other page.  This was another reason why I thought Jenna should maybe be a little older; she was very aware of the weed smoking, and knowledgeable as to when and where Casey got his weed from.  Weed is the only drug named in the book, so there's none of the hard stuff.  But still... it was a little heavy-handed for my taste.

While the middle got just a little bogged down, the start and finish of The Sweet Dead Life were strong enough and entertaining enough for me to add the sequel to my to-read list.  It's a quick read; a mystery; some of the characters are angels; most of the characters are teens.

Marie

Friday, November 28, 2014

Revenant by Larissa Ione

What would you do if it turned out you were not the person you thought you were for the last 5,000 years? Of course none of us will ever know, with our short life-spawn and all, but Revenant now has to deal with a whole new set of memories, a completely new nature, and he doesn't quite know what do it with it all. There's one thing he knows though, he would do almost anything to have the sexy Blaspheme in his bed.

Revenant, 'officially' the last book in the Demonica & the Lords of Deliverance series, proved to be a very satisfying read. Larissa Ione always delivers sexy, addictive and full of action reads and this title is no exception.

I haven't been particularly fond of Revenant in the past books, but I have always been curious. I must say, you can now enroll me on the Revenant-fan-girls wagon. He is dark, sexy, without an once of remorse, but he has principles. Or should I say he has one principle? You can wreck havoc all you want, but don't break the rules and don't lie. It's kind of funny that he won't blink an eye when killing someone, but don't you dare throw garbage on the floor if it's against the rules. I thought it was quite endearing, and makes total sense when you get to know his past. I really enjoyed discovering his personality, and I must confessed a pitied him at times. It must be really hard to deal with his situation, but he did it with his head held high.

Blaspheme was just as great. I really liked her spunk and how she could argument with the best of them even though she was sometimes scared shitless inside. She was resourceful, compassionate and determinate.  I loved that despite her half-demon side she was driven to do the right thing and would sacrifice her own well-being to protect others.

I really liked the story and how all the characters we love made an appearance. Blaspheme and Revenant faced some very difficult situations and I enjoyed witnessing them thread carefully and try to reach the best possible outcome. All the loose ends are wrapped-up nicely and I was very satisfied - and surprised- with how everything ended.

Even though Revenant is officially the end of the series, Larissa hints at something more in this novel, and provides a link to find out more about what's to come. The LINK is suppose to work in December 2014. I can't wait to see what it will reveal!

The Demonica and the Lords of the Underworld series are simply awesome, and I would strongly suggest paranormal romance lovers to read it. I joined late in the game and I have no regrets! Give me more!

tynsignew

Thursday, October 23, 2014

PHE - Interview with Nikki Kelly + Giveaway

PHEf


I'm really happy to welcome Nikki Kelly to the blog today to celebrate her newly published novel, LAILAH. It was released earlier this month by the publisher Feiwel and Friends, but as a Wattpad sensation, LAILAH already had a following. Nikki Kelly joins us today to answer a few questions and discuss her book. Also, don't forget to check out the giveaway at the bottom of the post.


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Hello Nikki and welcome to the blog.  I'm glad we can chat about your newly published novel, "Lailah". To someone who doesn't know what to expect, how would you best describe your debut novel?

Lailah is the first book in The Styclar Saga and is YA PNR.


The story focuses on Lailah as she goes on a journey of self-discovery, uncovering the truth of ‘what’ she is, while trying to figure out ‘who’ she is. The novel is full of mystery and action, and there is a heavy romance at the center of the story, but Lailah’s existence and her world is veiled with dark undertones.


There are themes of light and dark, and it goes some way to challenge preconceptions and assumptions that we make about people and the world. The ideas around the worlds/dimensions in the story are a spin on traditional mythology and the concept of Heaven and Hell.


The synopsis of Lailah sounds quite dark and the cover looks creepy (but beautiful). Do you think your novel can be read by anyone, or will dark themes deter some readers?

I am ecstatic about the cover! It would have been all too easy for the designers to put an uber-pretty girl in a big dress in the middle, so I was thrilled that the fantastic creative team came up with the cover that they did. It perfectly depicts the tone of the story, with our heroine at the center, dressed normally, and with a light cascading down from above, but creepy hands grabbing her from below. If a picture speaks a thousand words, then this cover surpasses that and manages to encapsulate the entire 115,000 words of the story!


To answer your question about darker themes, I look at it like this: To know happiness, to a degree you have to experience sadness in your life, which in turn makes the highs so much higher. To a degree the same can be said for the darkness in this book. To truly appreciate the idea of light and what that means, we have to experience and know the opposite end of the spectrum. While there are some dark moments, they are crucial to the story. I don’t think it should deter readers; the book has gone through an editorial process and been categorized as YA, and the professionals know what is ‘too much’ or if something goes ‘too far’, so I trust their judgment on keeping the darker themes well-balanced.


Lailah is the first book of The Styclar Saga. What exactly is "Styclar"? And how many books do you anticipate the Saga will have?

In the books, Styclar-Plena is the name of the ‘First Dimension’ – a world created by and existing in light, born from a crystal that sits at the center of the world. Styclar-Plena is an anagram of the words ‘Crystal Plane’. It was only right to name The Saga after the First Dimension; to a point, everything that has happened and will happen has spawned from the actions of the beings from that world.


The Saga is set to be three books. Book 2 (Gabriel) is due for release Fall ‘15 and Book 3 (Untitled) is due Fall ‘16. In addition I have been writing various short stories, both for digital release and for print release, to go along with the main titles.


Is Halloween recognized in the paranormal world you created for Lailah? If so, how do people celebrate?

Lailah is actually set over the month of December and over the Christmas period, so we just missed Halloween! In the first book Lailah stays in the Second Dimension, which is Earth as we know it in current times, so it would be a recognized holiday.


Were there any special challenges when writing about total opposites like Vampires and Angels?

My Vampires and Angels are a little different to what has come before. In fact, the very idea of what a ‘Vampire’ and what an ‘Angel’ is – what our preconception of those beings are – is exactly the reason I wanted to include them. One is traditionally very ‘dark’ (there are different generations of Vampires in my books) and the other is traditionally celestial and ethereal, which is perfect, because it gave me the opportunity to explore the dark, the light and the shades of grey in-between, while putting a new spin on the beings themselves and the worlds from which they emerged.


Your experience from a self-published author on Wattpad to an author published with Feiwel and Friends is impressive and admirable. In short, can you describe the process? Also, if you had to do it over again, would you change anything?

Awww that’s very kind of you to say! I wrote my story over 18 months in my spare time. It was shortly after that I discovered Wattpad, and I uploaded my story serially in blocks of seven chapters a week over the month of December, so the readers would feel as though they were in ‘real time’ with the events in the story. The book became popular very quickly and within six months had over a million reads and thousands upon thousands of votes and comments! This was amazing for me and made me feel more confident with what I had written, due to all the love being sent my way through the magical wires of wi-fi! Growing an audience early on really helped, and in many ways it gave some assurance to the traditional publisher –Feiwel & Friends, who picked it up – that despite the ‘supernatural trend’ falling out of favor, there was still very much an audience who still wanted to read about these types of beings! If I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t change a single thing.


 

Now on to some personal Halloween questions:

What's your favourite part of fall/autumn?

The leaves, when they fall off the tree! Crisp and golden, I enjoy kicking them and watching my Pug and Chihuahua roll around the piles in the park!   


What is your most memorable Halloween costume?

I’m English, and we don’t celebrate Halloween the same way the US and Canada do! In fact, sadly, it’s not really a big thing here at all. That said, I think the costume I probably dressed in most growing up was a witch with a broomstick! Having said all that, as I became a teen and went to Halloween parties, I often dressed up as pop stars, such as Baby Spice!


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Thank you Nikki for stopping by and answering my nosy questions!


Here's the scoop on LAILAH:




Lailah


The girl knows she’s different. She doesn’t age. She has no family. She has visions of a past life, but no clear clues as to what she is, or where she comes from. But there is a face in her dreams – a light that breaks through the darkness. She knows his name is Gabriel.

On her way home from work, the girl encounters an injured stranger whose name is Jonah. Soon, she will understand that Jonah belongs to a generation of Vampires that serve even darker forces. Jonah and the few like him, are fighting with help from an unlikely ally – a rogue Angel, named Gabriel.

In the crossfire between good and evil, love and hate, and life and death, the girl learns her name: Lailah. But when the lines between black and white begin to blur, where in the spectrum will she find her place? And with whom?

Gabriel and Jonah both want to protect her. But Lailah will have to fight her own battle to find out who she truly is.


Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads


My Review




About the author


Nikki-Kelly-BWNIKKI KELLY was born and raised only minutes away from the chocolately scent of Cadbury World in Birmingham, England. Lailah was first launched to wattpad, an online readers and writers community. Within six months, the novel had over one million reads. Lailah is Nikki’s debut novel, and the first book in The Styclar Saga. She lives in London with her husband and their dogs, Alfie (a pug) and Goose (a Chihuahua).


Connect with Nikki:


Website | Twitter | tumblr | Facebook


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giveaway


Nikki's publicist at MacMillan is offering one (1) harcover copy of LAILAH.


Open to USA and Canada only. Giveaway ends on November 7, 2014.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


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Lailah by Nikki Kelly

At first glance, LAILAH is a YA paranormal book, but deep down, it's really a book about self-discovery. When I first read the synopsis, I was intrigued by the mystery behind the story and the characters. I was even more interested when I realized that the story was originally posted on Wattpad, and eventually got picked up by a major publishing company. I've never read anything on Wattpad because I don't really have the time to read unedited books, but with a huge following on Wattpad, and a publisher that could polish and enhance the writing, I just couldn't stay away from LAILAH. Although it fell a little bit short of my high expectations, I still enjoyed the story quite a bit.


The main character's story is what really had me interested in the book. Francesca (or Cessie), or Lailah as she was known in her 'past life', isn't an ordinary girl. She doesn't know who she is, or what she is because she seems to be immortal and forever young. She explains her situation as best she can when she says, "Every time I die, I wake up. I don't remember anything about the past. I have some fragile recollection of who I am, who I was... The memories, the visions are the only insight I have. Some days, they seem more of a curse than a gift." (ARC p. 275) Obviously, because of the title, this book is her story, discovering why she's immortal and why both vampires and angels are after her. Character-wise, I find her very apathetic, despite being very mysterious. I would assume that someone who's known for a long time that they're immortal would want to know more about themselves and why they 'resurrect', especially since that someone barely remembers anything about her past lives. Eventually we learn that this has been going on for over 200 years without her finding out the truth. Don't get me wrong, I love learning things through characters, but this doesn't seem realistic because human nature would have her asking questions way before.


The whole story begins when Lailah saves a vampire and then meets an angel. They seem to hold the key to finding out more about her, especially since associating with them has brought her a lot of attention. Now, a large bunch of vampires and angels are after her, although we don't really know why they're interested. Gabriel, an angel of Death, Jonah, a new-ish vampire, and a few other vampires form a group that are trying to fight darkness and evil vampires. They more or less adopt Lailah to their little group, because most of them seem to really care about her, and want to help her survive against the dark vampires.


The mystery girl, the vampire and the angel end up forming a messy love triangle. I'm a fan of love triangle when done right, but in this case, it was quite typical. For most of the the novel, Lailah is pretty indecisive, and obviously with an angel and a vampire, you have the clichéd good boy vs. bad boy struggle. One thing I did like, however, is the fact that one love interest is completely new, and the other is someone she has known forever, but has forgotten almost everything about him because of her weird resurrection situation.


Many other clichés are found throughout the book, like the heroine always running away when faced with danger, the insta-love between characters, the one character that holds the answer to almost everything (Gabriel) but doesn't want to reveal too much, the character that is so special and has amazing powers and strength but doesn't know why (Lailah), the female lead always being told what to do by the male lead (or any male in general), and many others. I was also annoyed by the amount of time talking shopping and doing the actual shopping. I'm a big fan of that activity, don't get me wrong, but there's no sense in being overly repetitive.


I wish the author could have avoided some of the clichés, or at least toned them down a little. Despite all these little quirks I had with the book, I really did enjoy the story. The interactions between the characters and the overall mystery was exceptional. I didn't even mention the wonderful world Nikki Kelly created, which balanced mythology and original concept perfectly. Each chapter leads to more suspense and intrigue. The numerous and stimulating secrets will have you binge read this book because you won't be able to put it down without learning more. I'm definitely interested in finding out what happens next in this saga because I truly expect this series will continue to fascinate readers.


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Sunday, August 31, 2014

Broken by Traci L. Slatton

I've always liked reading historical fiction but personally I've never liked reading books about WWII. There's so many atrocities in that war that I usually can't face a novel set during that time. However, when I read the synopsis of this book, there was just something about it that caught my attention. I don't know if it's the idea of a fallen angel living in occupied Paris or if it's the idea of a novel about a fallen angel in love with two completely different men, but it just felt like I was about to read something special. Although the story was definitely not what I expect, it was truly original. I think it takes a special mind to come up with a story like this one. It shocked me multiple times, brought me to tears, and provided good entertainment.

The main character, Alia, is the fallen angel in question. As a protagonist, she's not my favorite because her carefree attitude in the beginning of the novel makes us feel like she doesn't take the war seriously enough. For her, she's just passing through, telling herself that she's not affected by the lives of the humans surrounding her. She's simply using them for her enjoyment since she has no more obligations as a fallen angel. She does eventually redeem herself multiple times throughout the book, since the book is in part her "transformation" from angel to a human.

Pedro and Josef are the two men Alia gets romantically involved with, that have proven time and time again their worth and their ability to sacrifice their lives for the good of the people. Although I can't really tell you who she ends up choosing without revealing major spoilers I can tell you either man is a worthy choice for any woman (or angel in this case). Traci L. Slatton took a huge risk by adding eroticism to some of the love scenes but personally I think it's a great way to balance out the horrors of war. These opposites are strange because it's unexpected but the love story does provide a way to escape into the story without being overwhelmed by the hostility of the occupation.

One of the aspects that I truly appreciated is the addition of real historical people in the novel. The author included people like Edith Piaf and Coco Chanel, among many others, in her novel and it added some authenticity to the story. Edith Piaf and Coco are the ones that stood out the most for me because they are among some of my favorite French celebrities. Obviously Edith Piaf's music will live on forever because of her unique voice and amazing talent, while Coco Chanel is known for revolutionizing women's fashion and beauty. I could go on and on about Chanel because I'm a huge fan of the fragrances and make-up (I can't afford the clothes so I must fuss about things that are a little less expensive) but I'm not going to turn this post into a beauty/fashion post. Suffice to say, the author certainly got a thumbs up from me for including these celebrities.

I wasn't sure where the author was going with her novel near the end, and although I'm still not sure if it's the perfect ending to the story, I think the conclusion allows the readers to reevaluate human life and to understand why some of us are driven to courageous acts. I don't think BROKEN is so much about how WWII broke the spirits of so many people but about how some were able to overcome so much and still able to piece themselves back together. It's obvious the author researched her subject thoroughly because the historical references seem accurate. I'm no historian, but ignoring the fictional elements, the war elements were very realistic. Please note that the book does contain some explicit scenes and some dark themes that are not suitable for everyone, however I do recommend it to anyone in the mood for something dark yet enlightening. BROKEN left me a bit confused because even though I enjoyed it, it's not your everyday paranormal read. I have nothing to compare it to, and it's hard to define it, but I guess that's what makes it so stunning. It's unlike anything I've ever read.

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Sunday, January 05, 2014

World After by Susan Ee

If I would have read this book when if first came out a little more than a month ago, WORLD AFTER could have easily been my favorite Young Adult book of 2013 (along with the first book of the series). That being said, even if it's still early in the year, it will probably be at the top of my YA books of 2014. It's a great way to start the year that's for sure, and couldn't ask for a better book to kick off 2014.  The story is wickedly interesting, totally brilliant. I'm glad it's a direct continuation of book one and as one book flows into the other, the stories simply merge into an epic series.

"Rising from the dead" after being stung and paralyzed by an Angel-scorpion-abomination, Penryn, her sister that looks like a lab experiment gone wrong, and her crazy mother are given the cold shoulder by pretty much every member of the Resistance, a group they had more or less became friendly with in the previous book. Not knowing who to depend on, Penryn in still the rational teenager we met in book one and every little detail about her actions are well thought out.  At least at first. When her sister runs away from the Resistance camp after a bloody incident, her desperation becomes evident which makes her take more and more risks, despite her sister looking like a stitched up doll. Her ever crazy mother makes the search cumbersome but Penryn is so dedicated to her family that she does everything to keep them all alive.

Her sister isn't the only person she's looking for. Secretly she wishes to also reunite with her angel ally, Raffe. Now that she is the possessor of Raffe's angel sword, she forms a bond with it and in turn the sentient sword shows her glimpses of Raffe's life through dreams and feelings. As we learn more and more about Raffe, it confirms that he's unlike the other angels. While many angels long for the apocalypse, Raffe's conscience makes him doubt his brethren and the bond he forms with Penryn is something he thought would never happen to him. He was taught that having feelings for a Daughter of Man is sinful and against the rules, but it's like something invisible draws them constantly together.

The scenes with Penryn and Raffe together make this book complete. Raffe's sarcastic comments and their undeniable bond makes this book so much more interesting, it's almost sinful to read their impossible relationship. You might expect a book about angels to be all about doing good and shinny things but WORLD AFTER is exactly that: the world after the invasions of the angels. These angels aren't friendly. In fact they are brutal, some are insane, and one might even say some are evil. Their enthusiasm for the apocalypse and the end of human kind makes you shiver and rethink your definition of angel.

Despite all the awful things these angels are doing to earth and humankind, it's the perseverance of humans and their fight for freedom that shines through. Imprisoned, some humans seem passive and seem to accept their faiths but deep down, humanity's desire to survive guide many of their actions. Humanity is strange and difficult  to write about but I think Susan Ee has done an excellent job in describing it in her version of the end of the world. Perseverance is the key message to this book and I think it's something we all need to read about, from time to time. I can't get enough of this series and I really hope the series continue to inspire us with the goodness of humanity.

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Sunday, May 26, 2013

Dark Flight by Cassi Carver

cassi carverDark Flight

Dark Flight by Cassi Carver

Book Stats:

Reading level: Ages 18 and up
e-ARC:  263 pages
Genre: Urban fantasy
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release date: May 21, 2013

Series: The Shadow Slayers #3

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Source: e-ARC from the author

Purchase: Amazon

Kara has been training for months to help take down Brakken—the merciless black-wing who is making life hell for the Demiáre. But when Julian discovers a scout has been tracking Kara, he wants her out of the fight—even if it means breaking her heart in the process.

Gavin isn’t much better. He’s already lost so much to Brakken and has no intention of allowing the woman he loves to be the next sacrifice. He and Julian have their hands full trying to fight Brakken’s army and keep Kara safe, especially after her recent visit to the mythical white-wings. Since her return, she’s been acting decidedly…strange.

With a terrible battle looming, Kara doesn’t have time to think about her conflicted feelings for Gavin and Julian—or the fact that she’s developed an unnatural taste for Gavin’s blood. But if she thought it was complicated evading mysterious scouts and fending off vicious black-wings, she’s learning that’s nothing compared to loving two strong-willed men.

Product Warnings

This book contains angels that aren’t what they seem, a heroine with mad midwifery skills, and a metamorphosis that will change life as we knew it.

Every time I finish reading a book from this series, I’m left wanting more. Cassi Carver knows how to keep you hooked throughout her books and from book to book. Even though DARK FLIGHT might be the last book of the series (although I really hope it isn’t), it leaves us with a satisfying ending. So either way, readers will be pleased with this ending.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Like any good series, The Shadow Slayer series should be read in order since it follows the same characters from book to book. We first meet the main character Kara, when she thought she was just an awful witch (awful, as in not able to control her powers), in book one. However, when she learns she’s a coveted female from a race of fallen angels, her life turns upside down. Ever since meeting Julian and Gavin, her fallen angel protectors, her life has never been the same.

While I enjoyed reading about Kara in the other books, her character in DARK FLIGHT didn’t seem to have the same ferociousness as in the other books. With her added strength and by training intensely over the last few months, she has gained new kickass abilities, but for some reason, it just feels as if she simply going through the motions in this book. It probably has to do with the fact that she would do just about anything to defeat Brakken, so whenever she learns that she needs to do a certain thing or travel to a certain place, she more or less does it without analyzing it. As if she doesn’t have any other choice. However, she’s still the same lovable Kara who’s full of spirit and energy. The awkward positions she puts herself in are hilarious and entertaining, and her commitment to her friends and fellow clan members is a quality that definitively makes you want to be her best friend.

Of course, this book wouldn’t be complete without Julian and Gavin. Personally, I’ve never been fond of love triangle, but this one is quite something. Kara has been in love with Julian for some time now, and they already know that they’re bond mates. However, ever since Julian reincarnated (or regenerated as they say in the book) he can’t recall what happened before his death. Since it’s hard to have a relationship with someone that can’t remember you, Kara finds herself falling for Gavin, who’s always had feelings for her. I’m not going to reveal who she ends up with, because that would be a major spoiler, but I’m pretty sure Cassi Carver always intended to finish it this way.

Overall, the mythology of the series is quite interesting. In the first book, I had a hard time grasping everything, probably because we learn everything through Kara who learns only little bits and pieces at a time. However, I like the fact that in this book, even though we now know a lot about this world now, Cassi Carver still threw us a few curveballs. One thing that has always bothered me with the mythology is that, as a race of fallen angels, only the men have wings. This means only the men have supernatural abilities like flying and teleporting from location to location. Since Kara is obviously wingless, she has to depend a lot on the men, which doesn’t say much for women independence. However, I’ve learnt to ignore this little fact since Kara seems to have pretty much all the men wrapped around her little finger. In reality, she’s quite independent even though it appears as if she needs to have a man close to allow her to travel between her human life and her clan life.

To say that Kara’s transformation in book three is a surprise, is quite an understatement. Of course, she plays a major role when it comes to fighting Brakken, even thought Julian wishes she wouldn’t be. As a heroine, Kara is definitely kickass, smartass, and funny. It’s no wonder that she has every angel falling for her, whether male of female. She has this intrinsic ability to pull people towards her, which makes her a perfect leader and the perfect main character. If you haven’t read this series yet, you might want to look into it if you’re looking for a fun and easy read, that includes sexy scene and steamy shirtless angels. For once, book three leaves us with a satisfying ending, however Cassi Carver left us with a new side story which might lead us towards another book. I can only hope to see more of Kara and her fallen-angels in the future.

Read an excerpt

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Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Prophecy Girl by Cecily White

Prophecy Girl by Cecily WhiteProphecy Girl by Cecily White

Book stats:
Reading Level: Young Adult
eARC: 360 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Entangled
Release date: April 2, 2013

Series: Angel Academy #1

Source: From Publisher For Review

Reviewed by: Lili

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Amelie Bennett. . . . Ending the world, one prophecy at a time.

I was born to slay Crossworld demons.

Big black flappy ones, little green squirmy ones. Unfortunately, the only thing getting slain these days is my social life. With my high school under attack, combat classes intensifying, and Academy instructors dropping right and left, I can barely get my homework done, let alone score a bondmate before prom.

Then he shows up.

Jackson Smith-Hailey. Unspeakably hot, hopelessly unattainable, and dangerous in all the right ways. Sure, he’s my trainer. And okay, maybe he hates me. Doesn’t mean I’ll ignore the wicked Guardian chemistry between us. It’s crazy! Every time I’m with him, my powers explode. Awesome, right?

Wrong.

Now my teachers think I’m the murderous Graymason destined to bring down our whole race of angelbloods. Everyone in New Orleans is hunting me. The people I trusted want me dead. Jack and I have five days to solve the murders, prevent a vampire uprising, and thwart the pesky prophecy foretelling his death by my hand. Shouldn’t be too difficult.

Getting it done without falling in love. . . that might take a miracle.

Unfortunately, this review will be rather quick. I went into this book looking forward to something very entertaining, but a beginning that started out with a bang quickly fizzled out into a less than stellar novel that left me wishing for something different.

I first found this book to be entertaining because it was up to date. There were plenty of popular culture references that teens—the target audience—could easily understand and possibly even agree with. But as I read more I realized that this novel had a plot line that I found to be incredibly familiar. Upon browsing similar opinions on the novel, it did click to me that this book reminded me very much of Vampire Academy. Several series now have reminded me of VA, and it’s hard to hold a candle to such a series. It’s no surprise to me that PROPHECY GIRL can’t. But if you compare both MCs and the overall plot line in both, than it’s quite apparent that there are many similarities between the two. This made the book get old to me pretty fast and leant the novel to predictability. It’s one of those moments that you saw coming from miles away and you just roll your eyes when all of the characters are in complete and utter shock at the big reveal.

Furthermore, my biggest pet peeve occurred in this one—the purely physical relationship that dominates the plot. I’m all for some awesome romance. I love it, really, but my biggest worry in relation to the way that the YA market is turning nowadays is the newfound focus on purely physical relationships and the lesser focus on truly getting to know each other, the camaraderie that leads up to a relationship. You know, the actual relationship that occurs when the two characters aren’t getting physical. Steaminess is fine, but I love the raw emotion and passion behind it all. I can’t say this book had much of it. I felt as if Jack and Amelie’s relationship quickly overran the plot and if this was the case, I think it needed to be better developed. Emotionally I felt incredibly disconnected from them since everything was all over the place. They were either getting extremely hot and heavy or their relationship was near non-existent. There was no connection between the two of them unless they were doing something physical and the relationship really dragged for me because of this. Where is the love, the feelings, the emotions and enviable connection? I can tell you it was not here.

This book is the type of book that will be good for those looking for a quick read that is more entertaining than thoughtful. What it lacks in proper plot points and execution it makes up for in good writing and entertainment value. Those looking for some steaminess in the YA genre can enjoy it as well, but don’t go into this one expecting a proper relationship. As entertaining as this one is, I don’t think it was for me and I do not believe I will be continuing this series. As for everyone else, this is one of those books for you to judge for yourself. While I did not like it, I can see many adoring it.

Read an Excerpt

Lili

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