Tag Archives: Fiction

New Release: Have Book, Will Travel

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Today’s new release is a YA book I enjoyed reading called Have Book, Will Travel by KfirLuzzatto and his son Yonatan Luzzatto. Make sure to check out my review as well as the blurb below. This is a quick read great for teens that like adventure stories, with easy language and lots of action.

Authors:           Kfir Luzzatto & Yonatan Luzzatto

Release Date:  June 1, 2012

Publisher:       PINE TEN, LLC

Formats:          Paperback, Kindle, Smashwords

ISBN:                   978-1-938212-08-6 (Print Edition)

Cover Art:      Laura Givens

Back Cover Blurb:

Max fears that his family will disapprove of his friendship with Darla, a common girl from the village outside his uncle’s fortress walls. That’s why they meet secretly to read together from an old book, which she has found in a dusty room near the fortress laundry where she works. Continue reading New Release: Have Book, Will Travel →

Review: Carbon: Session 02 – Forsaken Fates

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Carbon: Session 02 - Forsaken Fates
Carbon: Session 02 – Forsaken Fates by Jason J. Berg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Yet Arin never quits moving forward, and though he is under the constant threat of the invader, he never allows a morsel of respite to be taken for himself, or for the enemy.

Arin is changing. Due to the demon blood from the tainted katana and then from Shenmaru, his quest for vengeance takes a turn towards survival – not for himself, but from those he once lived with in the town of Sunnfal. Desperate to get away before killing someone, Arin takes his tortured body into the surrounding forest. Still wanting to rid the world of demons, he slaughters any he find, while the mysterious man, Vail, brings word of Arin’s deeds to the Council.

Continuing where Session 01 left off and containing much of the same qualities of the previous book, Session 02 expands upon the cast of characters. The mysterious man, Vail, has a larger part to play in this story than first hinted at, and Arin meets another interesting creature that he calls Regret. The world continues to expand, the artwork lending visually to the action portrayed. Still, the ending isn’t really an end, but more like a beginning to the bigger plot arch.

Quick and manga-esque, Carbon follows one man’s quest for vengeance that changes into his quest for saving his people from the monsters of the world – including the one he’s becoming.

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Review: Carbon: Session 01 – Alignment

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Carbon: Session 01 - Alignment
Carbon: Session 01 – Alignment by Jason J. Berg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

And so, it has been this way for the humans dwelling inside the ancient cities of Terra for well over five hundred years.

Arin has one of the most dangerous jobs in the city: collecting wood, stones, and anything else of use from the banks of the Orchid River. Still, he is happy and he makes enough to support his small family. Until, on his son’s 9th birthday, his life changes in ways he never imagined. Now, he’s on a warpath for revenge, battling demons – both inside his head and in his world.

While the world is vividly detailed and the pictures that are interspersed are masterfully done, the characterization fell a little flat. Arin is very single-minded in his quest for revenge, ignoring what could be helpful advice from a stranger to go after the demons that ransack his town. He also doesn’t question the interesting cloak that magically appears – he simply accepts it and moves forward. Also, there wasn’t a satisfying ending, but since this is made to read as a series, it would seem that Session 02 will pick up where this one left off.

Carbon introduces the reader to a world with plenty of untapped depth and tosses Arin into a fast-paced and bloody battle of revenge. The maps and artwork accurately depict the action of the story, adding a level of intimacy to the writing.

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Excerpt: Deadly Eyes

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Today on the Making Connections Book Tour, I have an excerpt from Michael Myer’s new book, “Deadly Eyes,” a murder mystery set in the Caribbean.

DEADLY EYES by Michael Meyer

SYNOPISIS:

 A HAUNTING CARIBBEAN MYSTERY

James Cuffy, better known as Cuff, is living in paradise with his girlfriend, on the small Caribbean island of St. Croix, where the sky is as blue as Cuff’s eyes, the ocean as pretty as Rosie’s cheeks, where the gentle lapping of the waves is a lullaby, and the swaying of the palm trees is a dance. The sandy beaches are as white as sugar, and the horizon is a world away. St. Croix indeed is paradise, the perfect place for living, laughing, and loving.  Continue reading Excerpt: Deadly Eyes →

Review: The Black Orb

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The Black Orb
The Black Orb by Sabine A. Reed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Don’t mistake me for a lady, old man, or that might be the last mistake you’ll ever make.

Aria has been searching for her brother for several weeks when she finds out he’s been taken prisoner by the Queen. In her desperation to bring back her only family member, Aria places her trust in Bikkar after he aids in her escape of the guards. They head to the seat of the throne, only to find Aria’s brother has been put under the spell of the Black Orb, leaving him a mindless husk intent on serving the Queen. To rid the world of the Queen’s rule, Aria and Bikkar travel to the end of the kingdom in search of the Dragon Claw, a magical item to break the Black Orb – and her only hope at getting her brother back.

While the world was very detailed, the characters were very simple. Aria only wants her brother back, and repeats this often. There were few minor characters that could have been developed further that would have helped flush out the story, yet Aria was a strong character and Bikkar was a nice compliment to her. The writing was very smooth: the places Aria and Bikkar went seemed to come alive. The ending, while nice and tidy, felt abrupt or forced, the climax too-quickly resolved.

With wonderful descriptions of the surrounding world and enough action to keep the plot moving nicely, The Black Orb is a quick fantasy story that readers can get lost within its pages.

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New Release: Sarah Smiles

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Today’s new release is a story of young people, of coming of age, of young love: Sarah Smiles by Seanpaul Thomas.

Blurb:

It’s Nineteen ninety one and eleven year old Paul and his family have just moved to the  climatic sunshine paradise of Cyprus with his father’s work as an army sergeant with the Royal Engineers.

On Paul’s first day at school, his third first day in as many years, he is befriended by the dominant school bully Michael who takes young Paul under his sinister wing, introducing him into the fast and furious game of break time football before sadistically snatching it away from him and the chance of making more new friends.

Michael though only wants to hang out with Paul after school since they are neighbours and the only same age kids on their respective army estate. One day after school Michael shows Paul the beautiful but wildly dangerous and adventurous world of the surrounding wasteland caves and valleys around the estate. But things take a turn for the worst when Michael bullies Paul into steeling some cigarettes from his dad’s army bar and the two run off underneath a local bridge to try and smoke them. Here Michael is ‘accidentally’ urinated on from the top of the bridge by another young boy, Ben, who Michel and Paul chase into a local park to beat up for his prank. Continue reading New Release: Sarah Smiles →

Guest Post: Gemma from Charade

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Today I have the wonderful Gemma from Cambria Hebert’s newest novel, Charade! Feel free to check out my review and then dig into some tough questions with the newest cast member in this great series!

First: The book!

Blurb:

Dying at the hands of a psycho was a shock. Having my life returned to me by an angel was
incredible. Being named a Supernatural Treasure and being given Sam as my guard was
pretty darn awesome. Acquiring a debt for it all—well, I should have seen it coming.

Now here we are, fighting demons from Hell, caring for a boy that I just don’t trust, and
traveling to faraway places to return a treasure to its rightful place. Nothing is as it seems.
Everyone wears a mask; everyone puts on a charade. It’s up to us to separate the truth from
the lies and reality from fiction. A hard task when my new reality involves fallen angels,
witches and dragons… and did I mention Hell?

Anchoring me down through it all is Sam. Sam, who must face tragedies of his own and is
put to the test again and again.

If we fail in our task, life as we know it—life as you know it—will end. Forever.

Continue reading Guest Post: Gemma from Charade →

Guest Post: Lisa Orchard

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Today I’d like you to welcome Lisa Orchard to my little corner of the universe! Lisa is the author of The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer and is here as part of her blog tour! This looks like a great book reminisced of Nancy Drew (only with  more girls!) and has been getting great reviews so far. If you enjoy YA mystery/thriller writing, don’t forget to check out the buy links!

Hello Everyone! I’m here today as a guest of Tricia’s. This is the fourth day of my blog tour and I’m having fun! I want to thank Tricia for hosting today!

When I first started writing my book, there was no question that I was going to write a Young Adult novel. I love this age group! Everything is new and exciting! It’s that time in life when the world is your oyster and anything is possible.

I also feel that this is the time in your life when you develop your strongest bonds. I still keep in touch with my friends from my teen years and it’s so much fun to get together and discuss our escapades during these times. When I look back on my life I realize that these years were some of my happiest and I wouldn’t trade these friendships for anything in the world.  Continue reading Guest Post: Lisa Orchard →

Review: Charade

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Charade
Charade by Cambria Hebert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you cannot breathe, I will breathe for you. If your heart will not beat, mine will beat harder. If you do not live, neither will I.

Heven and Sam have been through so much in their struggles against evil, but they aren’t done yet. Being tasked to return a treasure to its rightful spot in Italy, Heven and Sam struggle with family, friends, secrets, and deceptions on top of everything else. Change is coming everywhere they look and everyone’s mask is cracking. Can Heven and Sam hold it together – themselves as well as their family and friends – and save the world in the process?

Charade continues to follow Heven and Sam, yet expands the cast of characters a bit and reworks a few of the old ones. While Heven grows into her powers, she also learns that she is stronger than she thinks – something she shows Sam time and again, as she is willing to literally go to hell to protect him. The characters continue to grow before the reader’s eyes, sometimes with shining moments and sometimes with bitter ones, making them very believable. Cole plays a bigger part in this book, as does Kimber, and the new additions fall into place logically as well.

While some points slow and predictable, Charades is full of twists and turns that keep Heven’s (and the reader’s) head spinning. Fast-paced and engaging, Charade picks up right where Masquerade left off and runs full-tilt until the end, leaving Heven, Sam, and the reader asking – “What will happen next?”

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Review: Shut Up

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Shut Up
Shut Up by Anne Tibbets
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This isn’t about her! It’s about me! I’m doing this because I want to! I’m doing this. Me!

Twelve year old Mary can’t do anything right, even when she’s not doing anything at all. Mary’s sister, Gwen, finds any excuse at all to yell at Mary, belittling her and making her feel worthless. What’s worse, Gwen’s gotten pregnant and decided to marry The Creep, causing her family a massive amount of stress – which leads to more yelling at Mary. After enduring for as long as she could, Mary finally plans to escape – which may be the true undoing of the entire family.

Written in mostly Mary’s perspective, Shut Up gives its readers a first-hand look at bullying and abuse. Mary gets teased at school, picked on at home by her sister, practically felt up by The Creep, screamed at and beat by her mother, and yet endures all of these things while her father and brother seemingly sit by and watch. The true strength of Mary’s character is remarkable.

A captivating page-turner, Shut Up brings to light all those little family intricacies that can plague even the most well-intentioned or perfect-seeming households. Readers ride the waves of emotions along with Mary – cheering for her when she does stand up for herself, saddened by her failed attempts to fit in or be nice to Gwen, angry with her at her entire family for the abuse she takes for unknown reasons, enjoying those quiet moments without Gwen – empathizing with Mary’s choice of escape, even if it’s not the best course of action. But Mary endures and overcomes, showing that even in the darkest storms, there is light ahead.

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