Book Review #33 + Book Tour with Giveaway: The Ærenden Series by Kristen Taber

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The Ærenden Series by Kristen Taber starts out as a slow burn and then quickly takes off into a raging wild fire. I was happy to be given the chance to read the first three books in this series back-to-back. I think if I had reviewed only book one, I would not have given it a very favorable review.

The first book, The Child Returns, moved a little slow for my taste. When the book starts, the characters clearly have a history that started before page one of the book and Meaghan has these mysterious dreams. Those elements are tantalizing, but little is revealed as Meaghan and Nick make their way from Earth to and through Ærenden and the end of book one. This left me feeling frustrated and a bit disappointed as I felt I didn't learn a lot about the characters, the World and what role everyone was supposed to be playing. Thankfully, book two was waiting in the wings.

Book two, The Gildonae Alliance, picks up the pace. More is revealed about Ærenden, Nick's and Meaghan's role in the politics and lots of prophesies. The role of Seers and Dreamers in Ærenden was intriguing to me. They dole out the prophesies and dreams that tell the future of the realm and the people in it. The characters in the stories react to these differently. Some characters choose to let them rule their lives and other seek to change them. The dreams and prophesies drive the action in the story forward. Book two ended in a bit of a cliffhanger and once again, the next book in the series was waiting for me on my Nook.

Book one was a slow burn, book two the flames were starting to get fanned by the wind and then in book three, The Zeiihbu Master, everything comes to head and the wild fire takes off. When you reach the last page, the flames are out of control and if you are anything like me you'll tweet your frustration as Taber leaves the storyline wide open, your mind and heart reeling.

I am giving The Ærenden Series by Kristen Taber a thumbs up. While the pacing in the first book is slow, keep with it as the pace picks up in books two and three as more is revealed about the characters, the World they live in and how the prophesies and dreams lead them down dangerous paths in hopes of creating peace. I am very much looking forward to book 4!

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About the Author
Born in Bangor, Maine, author Kristen Taber spent her childhood at the feet of an Irish storytelling grandfather, learning to blend fact with fiction and imagination with reality. She lived within the realm of the tales that captivated her, breathing life into characters and crafting stories even before she could read. Those stories have since turned into over a hundred poems, several short tales, and five manuscripts in both the Young Adult and Adult genres. Currently, Ms. Taber is completing the five-part Ærenden series from her home office in the suburbs of Washington D.C.
Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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Giveaway:
$20 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
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I received Advanced Reader Copies in exchange for a honest review.

Book Review #32: The Luthier's Apprentice by Mayra Calvani

Image Courtesy of GoodReads


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I was so excited about The Luthier's Apprentice by Mayra Calvani. The blurb for the book and the cover really caught my eye. I know about Beethoven and Mozart because I played piano when I was younger. So I ventured over to Wikipedia to learn a little about Niccolò Paganini on Wikipedia. And this bit of information caught my eye.

...his widely rumored association with the devil, the Church denied his body a Catholic burial in Genoa.

Ooo, this is gonna be a good one, I thought. Unfortunately, I'm sad to report that The Luthier's Apprentice is not a good one. I don't want to go into too much detail as I don't want to spoil the book for anyone who may want to read it.



Here's a short list of the reasons I did not like The Luthier's Apprentice.

1. The chapter breaks come at the most awkward moments. I think the author wanted to create tension a la Dan Brown, but failed to do anything except make me ask, Why is the chapter ending here?
2. The villain's motivations are not clearly explained and neither is the family curse.
• The characters all seemed to get it, but as a reader, I felt left out in the cold because the reveals happened in such a haphazard fashion, and I had to go hunting for the crumbs.
3. Too many complicated backstories.
• Every character had a complicated backstory which lead to awkward conversations and awkward situations. Every action and reaction needed an explanation and as a result, the true motivations of the characters got muddied and muddled leading to confusion and a lack of strength in the plot. Heck, maybe there were just too many characters when all is said and done.
• In turn, because every thing about every character had been shared, the characters did exactly what you expected them to do. There is no mystery to their actions. You could see it happen before they acted/reacted.

Unfortunately, The Luthier's Apprentice by Mayra Calvani receives a thumbs down despite my initial excitement about the cover and its blurb. The idea had a lot of potential, but, for me, the author was unable to follow through. The result was a clunky mystery novel that left me feeling flat and disappointed.

Book Tour Interview: Keeper (The Morphid Chronicles #1) by Ingrid Seymour

For them, free will is a luxury . . .
Keeper by Ingrid Seymour
400 pages

Buy Vol. 1 on Amazon.com
It's just 99 cents!

Today's I'm happy to host Ingrid Seymour, author of the Morphid Chronicles, here at Second Run Reviews. Ingrid loves, loves, loves to write. She’s a young and new adult author. She writes in a variety of genres including romance, urban fantasy, paranormal and horror. She loves pizza and sushi, Sunkist and gum. She believes in vampires, witches, but not zombies (uh-uh, never!) She writes to loud music, daydreams constantly and spends too much time on Twitter!! Ingrid has incredible fun doing what she does, but more than anything she enjoys hearing from her readers. It’s a dream come true.

For more information about Ingrid, please visit:
Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Google Plus | Twitter | Pinterest |

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Second Run Review's Question: When I read Keeper I was enthralled with the Morphids. A secret species that develops special skills during their teenage years. The story is focused around 3 Morphids who are coming of age. What inspired you to create Morphids?

Ingrid's Answer: Well, I was thinking about Monarch butterflies one day and how they go from ugly caterpillars to such beautiful creatures. Then the thought crossed my mind: “what if we could go through a metamorphosis, too?” And voilà, that was all it took. All my book ideas seem to come from random thoughts like this. My mind is a very weird place. LOL!

Second Run Review's Question: I know there's you must do other things than come up with cool ideas like Morphids and write about them so other than writing, what do you like to do in your spare time?

Ingrid's Answer: I like to read (no surprise there :) I also enjoy cooking, working out and especially spending time with my family. I have 2 amazing kids and an equally amazing husband. #SoLucky

Second Run Review's Question: Ah, of course, you are a reader as well as a writer! What would you say are your top 3 reads or favorite authors if it is too hard to pick JUST 3 books?

Ingrid's Answer: Lately, I’ve been in love with Laini Taylor and her Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. She is very talented and a huge inspiration. I also admire Stephen King and Neil Sushterman.

Second Run Review's Question: Reading has played a big role in my life. I remember key moments when a book touched me and changed my life. What is your best writing or reading memory?

Ingrid's Answer: Definitely the day I received an email from an editor at Harper Voyager letting me know that they wanted to publish my novel, Ignite The Shadows (August 2015), I blinked at the monitor several times before I screamed and startled everyone. Dreams don’t come true every day. That day, for me, one huge one did.

Second Run Review's Question: Oh, new book next year?! Exciting! And congratulations! Everyone should add that to their to-read list now. While we are eagerly awaiting Ignite the Shadows, perhaps you have some advice for aspiring authors and your fans?

Ingrid's Answer: Whatever dream you have, believe that it is possible. Before attaining anything, we have be able to believe we can accomplish it. If we don’t think we can reach our hearts desire, how would we ever take the first step?

Second Run Review's Closing: Excellent advice, Ingrid. I appreciate you granting me an interview here at Second Run Reviews. I look forward to promoting Keeper and maybe even your next novel Ignite the Shadows. Good luck with this book tour and I wish you all the best with your new book and in future endeavors.

Keeper Volume 1 is available on Amazon.com for 99 cents. You also purchase Volumes 2, 3 and 4! Grab them today and let me know your thoughts in comments.

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Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
signed paperback of Keeper & Bracelet (US)
Prizing provided by the author
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review #29: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

I'll admit I had pretty high expectations for Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige. You see, I'm a HUGE fan of The Wizard of Oz. It's one of those movies I've been obsessed with since I was a kid. And when I worked at The Warner Brothers Studio Store back in the summer of 1997 in the Twin Cities, my obsession was heightened because at the time it was a Warner Brothers property. There were key chains and watches and fancy pens! OH MY! Somewhere in a box, I have the 2-disc soundtrack stashed away with the liner notes I poured over to know that Shirley Temple was considered for the role of Dorothy and at one point Judy's hair was blonde. Needless to say I'm a bit of an Ozian nut.

I really struggled with Dorothy Must Die and perhaps I should have abandoned the novel. But, I kept reading hoping to connect with Amy or Dorothy or anyone really and by the time I reached the end of the book, I came up empty handed and confused. Amy Gumm, the main character, was the whiniest character I've ever encountered in quite a while. It seemed like every time something went wrong or she didn't know the answer it was all "WOE IS ME!" Perhaps after a couple years of encountering characters like Katniss and Tris, I am starting to expect more from my heroines and expect them to be more resourceful in the face of adversity.

It appears there are a lot of political factions at play in Oz. Each faction thinks they have the right solution to the problem. However, no one takes the time to fill Amy in on why they are fighting, what they have at stake and why their solution is the best solution. No wonder poor Amy doesn't know who to trust or who to side with! And the biggest question for me, as a reader, how did Dorothy get so powerful in the first place? Did she just waltz into the Emerald City one day and say, "Hey! I'm in charge."? What triggered her obsession with magic? Why is she addicted? Amy tries to match the magic addiction back to her mother's drug addiction. However, since the cause of Amy's mother's addiction is never fully explained, the connection fails.

There was one laugh out loud moment for me in the novel towards the end when Amy confronts Dorothy.

"There must be some mistake," I said as I rushed toward her, my shoulder lowered. "You're the bitch. I'm the witch."

I would like this quote on a t-shirt, please.

For me, I didn't learn enough about the characters and their reasons for fighting to care if Dorothy really must be killed to save Oz. Certainly the devastation in Oz was atrocious, but it was my imaginary Oz that was destroyed, not Paige's. There was little description of Oz, either the Hollywood version or the Baum version or Paige's own Oz. That coupled with no explanation of the players who have a stake in the revolution and the lack of character development left the book flat for me. Sadly, Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige gets a thumbs down.

Buy on from Amazon.com

Book Review #28: S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst

Jade Eby introduced me to S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst. I didn't need much persuading to buy the book once she stopped by my desk with her copy and started pulling pieces out of the book and showing me the intricate margin notes. The only thing holding me back from buying the book was that it was on backorder and didn't arrive on my doorstep until February 15. I placed my order on December 28.

S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst is a complicated book and I've decided to take it slow and try to digest it a bit. If you aren't familiar with how this book works, I invite you to check out the links on Jade's blog, Chasing Empty Pavements. S. is a romance story told in the margins of the novel The Ship of Theseus by V.M Straka. I have gotten through The Ship of Theseus and now need to go back through the book and read the two or three sets of margin notes.

As a stand alone novel, The Ship of Theseus by V.M Straka is quite mysterious. The main character journeys throughout the novel on a ship bound to ports unknown searching for his identity and a woman he may (or may not) love.

As I got further and further into the novel, I couldn't help but be reminded by Lost, one of my favorite shows. There are lots of layers (like an onion and ogres) that if you wanted to peel them back one-by-one, I'm sure there is some existential meaning behind the man's journey, his memory loss, the crazy boat and the leader, Vevoda. The Ship of Theseus looks like, feels like and smells like (I'm not kidding) a dusty old novel I would have been required to read in one of my literature classes in college. I feel I would have enjoyed it more if I could have read a chapter and discussed it in detail with a group of people. Since this is a J.J. Abrams creation, I knew it was completely possible by the time I got through my first read through of S. /The Ship of Theseus none of my questions about the man and his memory loss would be answered. I tried to see the deeper message and let the book speak to me. It really didn't.

I am hoping that as I go through S. for the second time and read the margin notes, the real magic of S. will come alive. I did try to read the margin notes as I read The Ship of Theseus, but I felt like I was trodding through mud and getting lost in details that didn't make sense because I hadn't read enough of The Ship of Theseus yet for them to make sense. Trying to read the margin notes while reading the main novel made progress really slow and confusing to I switch my focus back to JUST The Ship of Theseus and the margin notes in pencil.

I am looking forward to reading through S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst again. I just need a bit of a brain break and will get back to it soon.

Buy on from Amazon.com

Cover Reveal: The Summer Sacrifice by Holly Hinton

Today we are excited to share the cover process via images and the final cover for the middle grade fantasy The Summer Sacrifice by Holly Hinton.  The book is scheduled for release on June 21st, 2014.

The cover artist has provided us with the images to show the process of creating the cover.

 These three concept images were the first pictures David created for The Summer Sacrifice. Thumbnail A evoked the atmosphere of a mysterious fantasy, B gave the impression of a teenage classic, and C was more poetic in tone. Holly settled on a mixture of A and B as the basis for David to start constructing the final cover.

These drawings were 'speed-painted' by David. They are rough in nature as their purpose was to help decide the cover's general colour scheme.

David drew a detailed sketch of the friendship group. He used this as a guide for the final painting of the group on the cover. He kept the 'camera' low, almost on the floor, to make the characters look more heroic and the serpent bonfire bigger. He worked to get a sense of wind into the image to give it an outdoor feeling and to add dynamism, and also to break up the composition's symmetry.

David paid great attention to working out the many light sources in the painting, and particularly how they would interact with the faces and bodies of the five central characters. There is a strong backlight from the fire, a mix of bounced lights from the environment, and diffuse bluish light from the sky.

This version of the cover is close to the final one. The serpent and the title still required small changes, and David also did some other general polishing, including painting the moon's glow onto the vines and leaves framing the picture, and adding the stars.

This screenshot shows the front, back and spine of the cover from inside Krita, the open-source software David uses to create his work.

The final cover for the paperback.

The final cover for the ebook.

Book Description:

Three hundred years ago, the Great Goddess sent a storm to destroy mankind. She nearly succeeded.

One island survived.

These days, the Goddess stops the spread of evil by sacrificing the Island’s rotten teenage souls. Or so the story goes... . When Jamie Tuff survives her Taking, she thinks her worst nightmares are behind her. But then her soul starts wandering into other people’s bodies, and she discovers that the Island harbours a deadly secret.

Now, she must save her little world from a fate worse than—well, worse than what the Goddess has already done to it.

Join Jamie Tuff and friends on their adventures through land, sea and sky, in a world where stars walk and Halfhawks fly.

Add to your Goodreads Shelf!

About the Cover Designer:
David Revoy (nickname Deevad), is a french artist living in the south of France.  He has more than 10 years of experience working remotely as a freelancer. His skills and expertise includes illustration, art-direction, concept-art and teaching. In short: he's a 2D artist (he uses drawing, painting, digital painting techniques) and paints custom artworks for books, posters, board-games, video-games and movies. His clients are located all around the world.

Since 2009 he has painted using only free and open-source software. He uses Krita, Mypaint, and Gimp on Linux. This technical choice doesn't affect compatibility with his clients: he still provides industry standards and can work or open any regular files.

He can be followed on Google+, Twitter, Tumblr or deviantArt.

Visit him at: http://www.davidrevoy.com/

About the Author:

Holly grew up in a small, sleepy village in Suffolk. The acting bug hit her at age nine, when she was asked to play Baboushka in the school nativity. That same year she played the lead role of a naughty black poodle in a pet parlour themed ballet, and she thought she had made it. Years passed, but the acting bug didn’t. She went to Goldsmiths, University of London to study Drama, after which she completed her actor training at Arts Ed.

Writing a book was never part of the plan. But life’s full of swerves and surprises and ideas dropping into people’s heads. Holly had an idea drop into hers, and that idea became The Summer Sacrifice, and The Summer Sacrifice became the first book of the Master Game Series.

For more information please visit:  http://www.hollyhinton.com/
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This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

Cover Reveal: The Luthier's Apprentice by Mayra Calvani

About the Book Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840), one of the greatest violinists who ever lived and rumored to have made a pact with the devil, has somehow transferred unique powers to another… When violinists around the world mysteriously vanish, 16-year-old Emma Braun takes notice. But when her beloved violin teacher disappears… Emma takes charge. With Sherlock Holmes fanatic, not to mention gorgeous Corey Fletcher, Emma discovers a parallel world ruled by an ex-violinist turned evil sorceress who wants to rule the music world on her own terms. But why are only men violinists captured and not women? What is the connection between Emma's family, the sorceress, and the infamous Niccolò Paganini?

Emma must unravel the mystery in order to save her teacher from the fatal destiny that awaits him. And undo the curse that torments her family—before evil wins and she becomes the next luthier's apprentice…

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	About the Author Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults and has authored over a dozen books, some of which have won awards. Her stories, reviews, interviews and articles have appeared on numerous publications such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal, Multicultural Review, and Bloomsbury Review, among many others. When she’s not writing, reading, editing or reviewing, she enjoys walking her dog, traveling, and spending time with her family. Represented by Serendipity Literary.
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Book Review #19 + Blog Tour: This Crumbling Pageant by Patricia Burroughs (The Fury Triad #1)

Persephone Fury is the Dark daughter, the one they hide. England, 1811. Few are aware of a hidden magical England, a people not ruled by poor mad George, but the dying King Pellinore of the House of Pendragon. The Furys are known for their music, their magic, and their historic role as kingmakers. When Fury ambitions demand a political marriage, Persephone is drugged and presented to Society-- Only to be abducted from the man she loves by the man she loathes.

But devious and ruthless, Persephone must defy ancient prophecy, embrace her Dark magic, and seize her own fate.

Be swept away into the first book of a dark fantasy series combining swashbuckling adventure, heart-pounding romance, and plot-twisting suspense.

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This Crumbling Pageant by Patricia Burroughs packs a punch. It combines so much mythology--Roman, Celtic, Arthurian and Christian--into one story its a wonder how it all fits together. But fit together it does and once the story gets moving it doesn't let up until the last page is turned.

Persephone Fury has a gift or is it a curse? Throughout the course of the novel, with Burroughs's deft handling of the main character, the reader is never quite sure. She weaves a fantasy world with strange powers that sits parallel to our own where the Ordinary are not aware of the magical world and its machinations. Somehow, Persephone is able to bridge the two worlds with her music and magical abilities. Her struggles, while rooted in a completely fantasy world, seem very real. Her frustrations with her large, talented and politically connected family and her strong desire to absorb knowledge of all kinds and her need for independence flows off the page. For me, as a reader, Persephone, and her struggle for love, equality, knowledge and independence felt real. As a reader, who wouldn't fall in love with Persephone after reading this passage.

"Perfect," she sighed. And then, because she could not more hold the words back than she could stop breathing, "My first kiss--" She nuzzled against his hand again. "--is in a library." And she collapsed in laughter against his chest. --Chapter Twelve

Her first kiss is in a library?! *melts*

While the plot is masterfully devised and all the characters are fully realized, I struggled a bit with the points of view. The other characters given a voice in the story, Robin and Vespasian, are as strong as Persephone in their development. The switching wasn't consistent, either in timing or formatting^*. It did make sense, in most cases, why the switch was happening as far as moving the plot forward, but sometimes it felt jarring and would take me a minute to readjust to who was telling me the story.

My favorite thing about the book is that there are no clear lines of what and who is good and evil. The characters and the reader struggle together to learn the answer. Everyone is left guessing as the plots twists and turns leading to the revelation of who will lead the revolution and who is the The True King. I'm excited for the remaining books in this series. Hopefully their release will be happening soon! With that, I give This Crumbling Pageant by Patricia Burroughs a rousing thumbs up.

Buy on from Amazon.com
Fury Triad Website

Book Review #18: A Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon

I'm a huge fan of Diana Gabaldon, but I have got to learn patience and stop messing around with her Lord John Grey novels and short stories. Except for The Scottish Prisoner, which did feature my favorite fictional crush, I'm always left disappointed and a bit baffled as to why I even pick these books up to begin with. However, I was kind of excited to read this short story. Gabaldon's books are usually rooted in reality, I wanted to see how she would explain zombies.

This short story was very disjointed. The mystery and it's resolution were lack luster and underwhelming like the whole plot was forced together under the premise of zombies to fit some unidentified, unknown unifying topic^*. I felt the characters where forced into situations that they would normally run away from. And while I think I understand how the zombies were created, the odd situations the characters were placed in, the lack of resolution to the murder and the un-zombification of people left me disappointed.

Overall, "A Plague of Zombies" gets a thumbs down from me. The one plus, on my Nook, the story is only 64 pages long, the remaining pages are the title page, author's notes and an 11 page sneak peek at Written in My Own Heart's Blood, the long awaited 8th book in the Outlander series. The first part of the excerpt picks up right after Jamie returns to Philiadelphia. And includes a delightfully awkward confrontation between Lord John and Jamie regarding Lord John's relationship with Claire. Can't wait for June!

"A Plague of Zombies"

Buy "A Plague of Zombies" from Amazon.com

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The Scottish Prisoner

Buy The Scottish Prisoner from Amazon.com

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Written in My Own Heart's Blood

Pre-Order Written in My Own Heart's Blood from Amazon.com

*This novella has been a part of a couple anthologies according to Gabaldon's web site. Perhaps surrounded with other like tales, it would make more sense.