artsy musings of a bibliophile

fantasy

Review: Shift by Raine Thomas

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Title: Shift (Firstborn, #2)

Author: Raine Thomas
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Iambe Books
Release Date: 24 August 2012
Pages: 323 (eBook)

Synopsis

Having the ability to shapeshift, Sophia is familiar with change. But even she feels the rising tension in her homeland.
A shadowy male and deadly beast reside in their midst. The births of the newest Kynzesti loom. Hostile Mercesti continue to hunt for the Elder Scroll, and a traumatized female is too afraid to use her abilities to stop them.
Topping off Sophia’s stress is Quincy, the male she’s convinced can’t stand her. She rues the loss of their friendship, but can’t figure out how to move past it. She’ll soon learn, however, that mending that rift bears more significance than she ever imagined.
The search for the Elder Scroll takes on unexpected urgency, and Sophia finds herself in a race across the mainland. To stop the Mercesti led by Eirik, she and her companions must get past their differences and unite against them. If they don’t, Eirik will acquire the immense power he seeks, and two of the beings Sophia loves most will die.


My Rating
* * * *
The Review
Shift follows the events that occurred in Defy as the back story but it focuses on Sophia and Quincy as the protagonists. I looked forward to reading Sophia’s story because she is different in appearance and abilities from the rest of her class due to her different DNA. Thus, it is curious to see how she sees herself and how she copes with the fact that she is different. Where Tate is defiant, free-spirited and stubborn, Sophia’s personality shines through her intellect and her ability to reason. However, this also makes her prone to come to wrong conclusions when it comes to the matters of heart and Quincy.
Quincy has been staying with the family to oversee the pregnancies of the Saraquel daughters as he is an obstetrician. However, Saraquel was his best friend and he is considered like family to them. His feelings for Sophia extend far beyond the love one has for family and it seems everyone is aware of it except Sophia herself. This is also true for Sophie. It is interesting to see two people apparently so in love with each other trying to hide behind the shadow of masked emotions. Both of them are convinced that the other cannot stand the site of them.
But when Quincy has to recount the events that led to Saraquel’s death, Sophia sees that he has no one to comfort him. This leads to an intervention where Sophia ends up blurting out her thoughts out loud. Quincy immediately sees the error of his way but the plans of Eirik and Metis stands in the way. Sophia also has to fully embrace her ability to shift and it is very interesting to see her change in that way.
The relationship of Tate and Zachariah also feature in Shift and it is good to read about their relationship and read more about the background of Zachariah. A big event occurs in Shift which changes their relationship forever and I didn’t see it coming at all.
Shift gives a deeper insight into the evil plan introduced in Defy. For the Mercesti to become an Elder, the help of abilities Ariana and Tate have are required. Hence, it becomes a race against time as the Elders seek to get to the scroll before Eirik can and this ensues much of the action in the book.
Even though the book deals with a lot of characters, each of them have something different to offer to the reader. Raine Thomas has written everything with such preciseness that it wasn’t hard to keep up with all that was happening in Shift. It would be interesting to see how things end for everyone in Elder as the big revelation at the end of Shift had me reeling for the last book. Shift is a great book with humor, awkwardness, romance, betrayal and action all packed in together making it a page-turner of a book.
Best Quotes:
“And this time, when she lashed out at him, it was with the arm of a bear. She ripped through fabric and muscle as her claws and power struck him. This time, he was the one who fell.”

““The kind of emotion required to create an avowed pairing is unparalleled,” he said at last. “Two beings have to love each other unequivocally. They have to be willing to commit their entire existences to each other…die for one another.”” 

Raine Thomas can be found at 
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Buy Shift (Firstborn, #2)
| Amazon | Amazon (Kindle) | B&N | Smashwords

Thanks to Raine Thomas for providing me a copy of Shift for review.

Review: Owlet by Emma Michaels Blog Tour + Excerpt + Giveaway

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Title: Owlet (Society of Feathers, #1)

Author: Emma Michaels
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Tribute Books
Release Date: 13 October 2012
Pages: 178 (eARC)

Synopsis
Somewhere between falling and flying… there is a girl.

Iris has a secret. She lost her memory eight years ago and never told a living soul. After an asthma attack one night she finds out that her dreams of a strange house on a snowy island may be a memory resurfacing but the more she learns about the past the more she realizes the life she has been living is a lie. As the façade her father has built starts to crumble around her she will have to decide which means more to her; the truth or her life.
My Rating
* * * *
The Review
Owlet begins and ends with a dream and in between, the words have a singsong and dreamlike quality to them as if they are floating inside the mind of the reader. 
I didn’t know what to expect from Iris and her story. It is so unique to read a fantasy book where the main character is asthmatic, dreams of flying and has more than a subtle conscience speaking to her about the life she no longer remembers.
While the reason behind Iris’s memory loss is not made clear, it is clear that Iris is being protected from humans that want her dead. Humans that are have birds as half-souls just like her. Iris was supposed to have dies as a baby because of what she was thought to be. But unconditional love made her parents want to protect her at any cost and that cost was not telling Iris who she really is.
Yet she dreams of an island she calls her Never-Never and flies to that island in her dreams and knows it like the back of her hand. When she finally gathers the courage to tell her father about the strange dreams, he is overjoyed and relieved. He decides to send her to the island with Diana, her caretaker telling her he’d join her soon and finally tell her the truth.
On the island, which is exactly like the her Never-Never, her mind tells her that she will also find him. He who has been waiting for her to find him and in her core she really knows him. Falcon was sent to harm her but he couldn’t do it and instead they fell in love as children. But then the dangerous circumstances and her memory loss made her forget him. Now he is adamant to never go through the pain of her not recognizing him.
Owlet is a very refreshing book in the fantasy genre. It isn’t long and when it ended I wanted to go on reading about the true self of Iris and what it means for Falcon. Though we only get to read about the secondary characters for a short amount of time, they really stick with you especially Diana and Nathanial. Emma Michaels is a talented author for having written Owlet with such an open mind and embracing the concept of the Stryx. I am looking forward to read more of her work.
Best Quotes:

“Chocolate chip pancakes are more important than grudges.”

“Closing her eyes for a moment, just wanting to clear away the tears from her lashes so that she could see Falcon clearly, Iris suddenly felt as though she was being pulled away from sweet oblivion as her moment of dreamless sleep slipped away from her and she felt snow against her skin.”

The Excerpt for the read along
The song is part of the legend. There is the original legend on the Vermilion but then there is also the Stryx legend of Tessa and Orinthian. Tessa was a Vermilion who fell in love with Orinthian. When word of their sad story spread songs were written about it, and this was one of them, a more recent version, in fact. My favorite…

Even as the stars shine, I only see the night.
Until I found a way to illuminate my sky;
A simple touch palm to palm with the man I came to love;
Sent the vivid colors of the world pouring into my gaze.
A simple touch that changed my life, as;
My heart started to dream in color.
I may be blind but he showed me the beauty the world had to offer;
By giving me one breath of his life at a time.
Slowly as he showed me sights I watched his face wither;
As my seeing the world’s beauty slowly stole him away from me.
I ran from him on swift wings to a place of safety;
And asked the Eyrie to lay me to rest.
I would not risk one of their own for my greed;
But as I asked them to let me pass,
I remembered that I had never seen the sun rise through the sky.
I asked them for only one favor,
I wanted to die flying;
On the Isle of White, from the highest cliff at sunrise;
I stood on the edge of death and felt the warmth on my face.
But before I could fall forward I felt gentle palms against my own,
And saw the sky was more than I ever imagined.
The colors set my heart afire.
As it did I watched my Orinthian’s sacrifice;
I faced a choice worse than the only one I had graced myself;
And learned to fly;
Flying to his side again;
Somewhere we would always see the world’s most exquisite beauty…
Together.

About the Author

Emma Michaels is the author of the ‘A Sense of Truth’ and ‘Society of Feathers’ series. Her goal with her latest YA novel ‘Owlet’ is to give others what she did not have growing up; a strong female protagonist with asthma. While her previous aspiration was to be a lady knight she realized that not being able to run more than a few feet might become a hindrance so turned to writing instead. Her day jobs include being a cover artist, marketing consultant and silk screen designer.

As the founder of The Writers Voice blog she loves to connect authors and readers. As a book blogger turned author, she was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, until she moved at eighteen to Washington State. Suddenly, the world was a new place filled with tall green trees that reached further for the sky with every moment, making her want to do the same. Ever since, she has tried to make her life something new and different from what it was before, pursuing her future career, setting high goals and reaching for them. With the support of her fiancé, Chihuahua, and her amazing blog followers and fellow bloggers, she wants to prove to the world that anything is possible and help inspire fellow literary lovers to reach for their dreams.


Emma Michaels can be found at 

| Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Publisher |
Tribute Books can be found at
| Website | Facebook | Twitter |
Buy Owlet (Society of Feathers, #1)

| Amazon (Kindle) | B&N | iBookStore | Payloadz (pdf) | Smashwords |

The Giveaway

The giveaway is open internationally and there are lots of prizes up for grabs! Enter away.
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Thanks to Tribute Books for providing me a copy of Owlet for review.

Super Power: Visibility by Sarah Neufeld Blog Tour + Giveaway

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Click the banner for the tour schedule.

Title: Visibility
Author: Sarah Neufeld
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: RainTown Press
Release Date: 20 May 2012
Pages: 184 (eBook)

The Synopsis
Natalie Irving is used to living in the shadow of her infamous mother’s celebrity—she’s done it all her life. So when she discovers that she has inherited Jaydn’s claim to fame, the talent to turn invisible, she knows she finally has the chance to step into the spotlight. 
Now that she is one of only two people in the world with such an ability, Natalie has a choice to make: follow in her mother’s footsteps or choose a different path, crafting a unique identity that is hers alone.

The Super Survey
In Visibility, Natalie has the ability to become invisible. Well, this is the fun part! You can see this blog tour focuses on super powers and so, every participating blog has one. I had so much fun writing down my answers! I hope you do reading them. Also, there is a fantastic giveaway at the end!
1. What is your super power?
The ability to read in the dark. As an avid reader, I love my ability! Jealous that you’d like to have it, too? I knew that. 
2. Have you told anyone about it?
No, I haven’t because no one really understands my need to read books and if I were to tell them I can read in the dark, they will surely think I am on a self-destructive path to wreck my eyes. Sigh…but my best friend knows.
3. Have you chosen to use it for good, or evil?
I used it for good because I can read books when it’s after midnight and complete my reading challenges and the what not.
4. Have you had any super power–related instances at school/work?
I had one at school and that was the day I discovered my ability to read in the dark. What happened was that there was a sudden power outage and as the classroom got cloaked on darkness, I was seeing all these shimmering words on the board and then on all the books around me. I focused on mine and ta-dah, I could read all the words! I could hardly contain myself but I didn’t want anyone to know about it, so kept quiet. Not too quiet, but I managed!
5. Spandex, or no spandex?
No spandex, because I really don’t need it and we wouldn’t want anyone discovering what I can do, right?

About the Author

A one-time member of Mensa, Sarah Neufeld loves solitude, literature, and travel. She is a true advocate of the graphic movement in literary circles, and draws on Japanese manga in particular to inform her writing.

She currently resides in Portland, Oregon, and works as a freelance Japanese translator. When she isn’t busy writing, Sarah can be found learning new languages, hiking the urban forests around Portland, and enjoying manga over a cup of tea.

 Sarah Neufeld can be found at 

The Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to RainTown Press for organizing Visibility blog tour.

Review: Seaweed by Elle Strauss Blog Tour + Giveaway

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Title: Seaweed
Author: Elle Strauss
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: ESB Publishing
Release Date: 15 June 2012
Pages:  223 (eARC)


Synopsis
Dori Seward can’t wait to get out of Eastcove, a sleepy fishing village on the border of New Brunswick and Maine. She bides her time by hanging out with friends, attending swim club, and holding her biggest competition, Colby–who wants more than just friendship, at arm’s length.
Then Tor Riley comes to town and he has everything Dori dreams of in a boyfriend–looks, athleticism and mystery.
But Tor also has a tantalizing secret and Dori is determined to find out what it is. The truth is crazier than her wildest imaginations and more dangerous, too. Dori has new enemies, and they will do anything to get to her.
Her life, her dreams and her love for Tor are all weighing in the balance. Will Dori risk it all in order to have it all?


My Rating

* *
The Review

Seaweed is a very fast-paced, cute and quick read. Eastcove is as far away from anything exciting as possible. But that is soon over when Dori meets Tor on the beach. And then he takes off rather abruptly and mysteriously. This ends up starting a trail of events in which Dori has the front seat.
Dori is a swimmer and a competitive one at that, her competition being with Colby who has a crush on her. Dori wants out of Eastcove and a swimming scholarship is the only way, really. But lately, her legs are getting itchy and gets an unattractive shade of red whenever she swims. Also, there is a weird clump of pimples behind her ears and random bruising.
As time passes, Dori and Tor find themselves spending time with each other more and more. But things take an unexpected when Tor has to leave Eastcove to be with his family because of some approaching danger. Dori is devastated and tries to cope. However, when another new boy, Riley, starts taking interest in her, she figures it’s a good way to get her mind of off Tor. But things are bound to get more complicated.
In all, Seaweed is a great read for summer. It is definitely set apart in the paranormal aspect being my first book reading about it. I enjoyed it and it took me a couple of hours to finish it. The world-building in the book is creative and I really enjoyed reading about Tor’s way of living. The ending does leave space for another book and if there is a sequel, I’d like to know what’s in store for Dori.

Best Quotes:
“The flames of the bonfire licked high toward the murky, open sky. The burning wood snapped and popped at its base. Smoke meshed with the salty essence of the sea and I breathed it in slowly.”
“The sea breeze blew around us, entangling our hair. The seagulls circled around, squawking and we could hear harbor seals barking in the distance. It was like nature was demonstrating her favor.”
About the Author

Elle Strauss writes time travel and merfolk chic-lit, light SF and historical YA fiction. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, hanging out with friends and family, and sometimes traveling. To ward off writer’s butt she does a bit of hiking, biking and yoga. Elle is married with four children and divides her time between British Columbia, Canada, and Germany. She writes upper/mature YA (historical and science fiction) under the name Lee Strauss.

 Elle Strauss can be found at 
Buy Seaweed

The Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Elle Strauss and ATOMR for providing me a copy of Seaweed for review.

Review: Frost by Kate Avery Ellison Blog Tour + Giveaway

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Title: Frost (The Frost Chronicles, #1)
Author: Kate Avery Ellison
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date: 18 April 2012
Pages:  206 (eARC)


Synopsis
In the icy, monster-plagued world of the Frost, one wrong move and a person could end up dead—and Lia Weaver knows this better than anyone. After monsters kill her parents, she must keep the family farm running despite the freezing cold and threat of monster attacks or risk losing her siblings to reassignment by the village Elders. With dangers on all sides and failure just one wrong step away, she can’t afford to let her emotions lead her astray. So when her sister finds a fugitive bleeding to death in the forest—a young stranger named Gabe—Lia surprises herself and does the unthinkable.
She saves his life.
Giving shelter to the fugitive could get her in trouble. The Elders have always described the advanced society of people beyond the Frost, the “Farthers,” as ruthless and cruel. But Lia is startled to find that Gabe is empathetic and intelligent…and handsome. She might even be falling in love with him.
But time is running out. The monsters from the forest circle the farm at night. The village leader is starting to ask questions. Farther soldiers are searching for Gabe. Lia must locate a secret organization called the Thorns to help Gabe escape to safety, but every move she makes puts her in more danger.
Is compassion—and love—worth the risk?

My Rating

* * * *
The Review

Frost. The word alone conjures up images of snow storms, icy winds, frozen water and barren, shrivelled up trees. Survival is not just a  word with three syllables; it’s a way of life. For Lia and the people of the Frost. But that’s not the worst part. Watchers prowl the forest surrounding the village during the darkest moments of the night and they attack. The only solace are the snow blossoms which somehow keep them away. Lately however, Watchers are evidently crossing the path of snow blossoms.

Living in the village of Iceliss is a day to day chore and to get the weekly supplies of salt, sugar and grain, all of the villagers contribute towards increasing the overall productivity. Lia’s family spin yarn and it has been difficult to meet the quota ever since their parents were killed by the merciless Watchers. With a crippled brother, John and a younger sister, Ivy, who likes to wander on her own; Lia now has to shoulder all the responsibility.

Lia fears for her and her siblings’ life every waking moment, unable to sleep at times because the Watchers might be close. Their farm is located at the outskirts of Iceliss, near the forest and the Watchers. So it doesn’t really help when Ivy insists on helping a wounded and dying Farther.

Farthers are the other enemies of the people of the Frost who live in the village of Aeralis, a far more advanced society than the Frost. But there the soldiers roam freely, killing the innocents mercilessly on the slightest of disobediences. Wrongly accused as a fugitive, the Farther Gabe, was rescued by a member of the Thorns. Thorns are a secret group who help the Farthers escape the wrath of the soldiers.

Will Lia’s family be caught or will Gabe escape safely? And what is it that Lia feels when Gabe is near that she doesn’t feel with Cole? Why does Adam Brewer seems to be staring at her hard forcing her to recognize something? Is Anna, her best friend and the daughter of the Mayor, hiding something? Lia is beginning to wonder what is real anymore.

Frost drew me in and I loved every second of it. I was pulled into the story from the first sentence. As a lover of winter, the world building of the Frost is done brilliantly by Kate. The secondary characters had depth and a story to tell of their own. I liked Gabe’s tenacious will and found Lia to be a very admirable character; strong-willed yet humble. I would highly recommend Frost to the readers of young adult dystopia.

Best Quote:

“There could be no weakness here in the Frost, where we clung to life between the mountains as desperately as a drowning man clings to a stone.”

About the Author
When I’m not writing, I enjoy watching TV, playing video games, and eating ice cream cake. I don’t normally wear purple bows on my head in public, but I drew one on this author photo so you guys would recognize me. While it’s true that I’m currently working on a zombie novel, don’t let that fool you. I am decidedly TEAM UNICORN.

Kate Avery Ellison can be found at 

| Website Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Publisher |

Buy Frost (The Frost Chronicles, #1)
| Amazon (Kindle) | B&N | Smashwords |

The Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Kate Avery Ellison and ATOMR for providing me a copy of Frost for review.