Book Review: The Sound of the Stones by Beth Hammond

Tags

Beth Hammond, Book Review, Christian Fantasy, Indie Author, The Sound of the Stones, Young Adult

Title: The Sound of the Stones

Book One in the Shattered Time Series

Author: Beth Hammond

Published by: Beth Hammond Books (January 3, 2017)

2nd Edition

Pages: 371 (Paperback)

Blurb: Nephilim, aliens, gods – They’ve been called by many names, but when Frankie stumbles onto an ancient book, the truth about the past reveals a more startling reality. What she reads about Ashra and the powerful Krad race makes her question her place in this world. The birthmark on her arm begins to burn as she reads the book, the birthmark that looks eerily similar to the symbol on the first page.

In Ashra’s world, the oppressive Krad race use crystals to hold humans hostage. Unknown to the Krad, Ashra has the gift to manipulate crystals. Keeping her power a secret becomes more difficult by the day. The time to rise up is now, but standing up to an entire race seems impossible. Then strangers bring a message from a land she never knew existed – Ashra is the one they’ve all been looking for.

Frankie and Ashra are separated by fiction and reality, but in the end the barrier shatters. The ancient book about the past holds the future, and Frankie is the key.

My Thoughts: I do not usually begin with my biggest disappointment, but I feel compelled to do so. Frankie is hinted at, in the blurb, to be the one holding the key. She is the character you first meet for about a dozen pages, and then she completely disappears until the very last page, which simply has her stop reading a book and there is a voice on the wind. I would have greatly enjoyed seeing her more often, giving her a scene from time to time to break tension, to remind the reader she exists, and to allow her to develop more for the reader. Consider how they did something along those lines with The Princess Bride, as that is what the ideal would be. I waited and waited for things to return to her, and it never happened.

Apart from that one complaint, I have nothing but praise for the book. The characters were enjoyable, even though it took some time for their paths to finally cross. The history of Ashra’s world, and the inhabitants in there, were imaginative. I smiled at every Biblical allusion in the tale, something I hadn’t expected but certainly delighted in finding within the pages of the book. Tension has built, the main characters are heading to a new place, and the villains are undoubtedly closing upon them. This is the page-turner sort of book that will keep you up past your bed time. The sort of book that you suffer compulsion to instantly purchase the next book in order to see what comes next.

If you like everything resolved at the end of a book with a pretty little bow, you won’t like this because it demands that you pick up the next book. Because the resolution doesn’t really resolve anything, but rather makes promises about what awaits these characters in the next book.

If you enjoy Young Adult, Fantasy, or Christian Fantasy books then you won’t want to miss this one. The only burning question that remains, now, is when that second book will be available for us to purchase.

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Book Blitz: Curse of Stars by Donna Compositor

Tags

Curse of Stars, Diamond Crier, Donna Compositor, Fantasy, Xpresso Book Tours, Young Adult

Curse of Stars
Donna Compositor
(Diamond Crier #1)
Publication date: February 19th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Sabi Perez is the last Diamond Crier, only she doesn’t know it. Not until a crazed ruler from another world comes to collect her priceless tears and won’t take no for an answer.

Living in New York, Sabi’s seen some nasty things, but the lengths to which her captor will go to keep his crown are things found only in the darkest nightmares. Afraid and alone, Sabi finds solace in her cellmate, Anya, and Cabal, a fellow Crier who also has powers, a rare combination that buys his favor from the ruler. Only it’s a favor he doesn’t want.

In a fit of rage, power erupts out of Sabi, the same power Cabal has, and a spark of hope ignites. Together they may have a chance at escape, something no other Crier has done. Except a ruler hellbent on draining them of every last diamond tear isn’t their only hurdle. If they escape they’ll be hunted to the ends of the earth, if they survive the trek to safety. If they stay the ruler will leech them dry. Sabi would rather die trying than lie down and die, even if that means running away into even more danger.

“. . . vividly imagined and deftly plotted dark fantasy . . .” BookLife Prize in Fiction

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks

—

EXCERPT:

“You must be Sabina,” he said.

Her heart felt ready to explode. Ringing in her ears made it hard to hear but she could have sworn he called her Sabina. She didn’t know whether to answer him or not. She went by Sabi but her birth certificate said Sabina. He wasn’t wrong, but she wasn’t about to admit that.

“Sabina Petris.”

The sound of his voice was soft, almost welcoming. But the way he looked at her, how his gaze bored directly into her eyes, it sent goose bumps across her skin. All she wanted to do right then was leave.

“Sorry,” she choked, the word barely making it out. “You have the wrong house.”

The thin smile that sliced across his face like a paper cut cracked open to reveal gleaming teeth underneath. Sabi couldn’t help but think of a wolf and how he would eat her with his big teeth.

“I don’t think so. But maybe it’s Perez now, yes? At least that’s what my sources say.”

Every thought she had smashed together in her head. He had her name. Her name. But who was Sabina Petris? And why did he say Perez like that wasn’t her real name? Crap, she needed to get out. Now.

“Baby, you okay?”

Sabi jumped and nearly choked on her heart. Keeping her eyes on the man in front of her she called down to Mrs. Wexler in the steadiest voice she could muster, “Fine. I’m fine.”

Nothing about her cracking voice sounded fine.

“Why don’t you come on down? Come sit with me until your Mama gets home?”

Yes! That’s what she’d do. Nothing could happen if she stayed out in the open with Mrs. Wexler. She took a step backward, not daring to turn her back on the man, but she stopped when he spoke.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t. Or your sister, Matti is it? Could feel the effects of that poor decision.”

Bile burned Sabi’s throat and her vision swam. The man took a step closer.

“You are my property, Sabina. Your parents knew this. They knew this would happen. Come with me now and I’ll forgive their indiscretions. I can’t say the same for their people, of course. So many deaths piling up behind your parents. Something like that is hard for people to forgive.”

Everything in Sabi’s head cleared and one thing rang out above it all: Matti. Get to Matti. Whoever this guy was, whatever he was saying, he wasn’t right. In the head, in life, in anything. Except just looking at him Sabi knew he was far from harmless. He was too casual, too confident. He was the wolf and she the prey and she was getting too close to backing into a corner.

With every ounce of air she had in her lungs Sabi screamed Mrs. Wexler’s name and booked back down the stairs. Footsteps thundered up to meet her and Mrs. Wexler mumbled ‘outside’ and nearly pushed Sabi down the rest of the stairs. But she didn’t need any help. And she didn’t stop on the stoop or to see what her neighbor was going to do.

Guilt slowed her down, but the way Matti rolled off the man’s tongue made her pump her legs harder. It was blocks to the school, but Sabi wasn’t about to wait at a subway stop, sitting like a duck with a price on its head. She needed to get to Matti.

 

Author Bio:

Donna has been writing since she was in the single digits when she first realized she needed to do something about all the thoughts in her head. After a stint with bad poetry she finally found her way to novels, mainly of the young adult fantasy variety. When she’s not cranking out more stories she works a regular 9 to 5, reads anywhere from 2 to 3 books a week, drinks copious amounts of tea, eats way too much, and makes her own beauty products because her skin turns into a sentient hive if she uses anything else. This is mostly because she lives in the desert where the air siphons water clean out of her. She lives with a man named Steve and several quadrupeds: three cats named Renfield, Sam, and Dean; and a MinPin named Malfoy.

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The 100 Book/TV Show Blitz

Tags

Book Blitz, Kass Morgan, Little Brown Books, Rockstar Book Tours, Sci-Fi, The 100, The CW, Young Adult

 

I am so
excited that THE 100 returns to TV tonight! And to help celebrate the show’s return Little Brown Books For Young Readers and Rockstar Book Tours are giving away 5 Boxed Sets of the Complete series! So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the
Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

 

About The Book:

 

Title: THE 100 Box
Set (Books 1-4)

Author: Kass Morgan

Pub.
Date: January 3, 2016

Publisher: Little,
Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 1360

Formats: Paperback

Find it: Amazon, Goodreads

All four thrilling novels in The 100 series, now available in a paperback
boxed set! 

Ever since nuclear war destroyed our planet, humanity has been living on
city-like spaceships hovering above the toxic surface. As far as anyone knows,
no one has stepped foot on Earth in centuries–that is, until one hundred
juvenile delinquents are sentenced to return and recolonize the hostile land.
The future of the human race rests in their hands, but nothing can prepare the
100 for what they find on this strange and savage planet. 

 

 

Read the series that inspired the hit TV show. The 100, Day 21,
Homecoming, and Rebellion are gathered together for the first time in this
striking box set, perfect for fans and series newcomers alike.

 

 

About Kass Morgan

 

Kass Morgan
studied literature at Brown and Oxford, and now resides in Brooklyn, where she
lives in constant fear of her Ikea bookcase collapsing and burying her under a
mound of science fiction and Victorian novels. Kass is currently working on the
sequel to The 100, which she’ll finish as soon as she finds a coffee shop that
allows laptops on the weekend.

 

Twitter | Goodreads

 

Giveaway Details:

 

5 winners will
receive the complete boxed set of THE 100 Series, US Only.

 

Ends on February 8th at Midnight EST!

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Blog Tour: Seasons Within by Lele Iturrioz

Tags

Acorn Publishing, Fantasy, Lele Iturrioz, Seasons Within, Xpresso Book Tours, Young Adult

Seasons Within
Lele Iturrioz
(Acorn Publishing)
Publication date: December 15th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Most teenage girls know their name, where they came from, who they are. Not G, a beautiful redhead with unusual markings on her wrist. She gets her name from a silver locket she keeps around her neck, unaware the engraved letter “G” on its front holds the secret to her past.

G’s life before the age of six has been a mystery to her. Each night for the last twelve years she’s been haunted by the same nightmare—a war. Horrendous beasts, warriors able to wield the four elements, and a boy who saves her by means of blue fire taunt her memory. But on her eighteenth birthday, G’s life begins to unravel. When she meets her new Chemistry professor, a man with an uncanny resemblance to the boy who saves her, she knows there must be more to her dreams.

It’s dangerous not knowing who you are, what you’re capable of, and what future awaits you. Especially when the darkness that slaughtered your entire world, just found you.

Goodreads / Amazon

 

Author Bio:

Major geek by day, hermit writer by night! Love books, sugar gliders and everything that comes in a delicious taco.

I’m the author of the YA fantasy series, Seasons Within

I spend my time writing, planning on writing, reading, drinking coffee like there was no tomorrow, MMA and chilling with my friends and loved ones.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

 

GIVEAWAY!

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Excerpt from the book:

Walking down the hallway, G kept looking at everyone’s faces. Some were excited, others angry, and others sad. Some played around with their phones, some took pictures of each other, and others texted nonstop.

Everything in her life, with the exception from Bobby and Priyam, made G feel like she was missing something. She saw the rest of the people around her like they all had everything figured out, everyone except her. While they all talked and wish to be skinny, date an outrageous number of people, have lots of money to spend on useless stuff and be prom queen, G wished for something more. She wished for knowledge on who she was, for a family, for incredible adventures and for the type of brave and loyal love she sadly finds only on her books. But no… people around her valued more the size of their jeans than any personality trait. And they call me weird… she thought, Well… they probably call me THAT for other reasons. She acknowledged since unlike them, she could understand things in animals that no one understood, she could feel the plants and the flowers, she could sense when the snow was coming, when the spring was starting,  always making her wonder, where she truly belonged. She felt like her life in Truckee, in that school, and everywhere she went wasn’t real, as if she were living inside of one of the video games Priyam loved to play. As if she was waiting for her life to begin. In a constant state of pause.

 

Halfway down the hallway, G and Priyam noticed there was too much commotion around the students. “What is going on?” asked G to one of the overly excited seniors.

“Hot new teacher,” she giggled.

“Poor woman,” Priyam said while tying her black hair in a ponytail.

“No.” The senior student smiled like a kid in a Christmas toy store. “It’s a male teacher.”

Priyam stopped cold. Those were rare creatures at that school, and like always, she needed information. “What’s his name? What class?”

“Mr. Blau.12^th grade chemistry.”

“Yes! We are going to have our own Ezra Fitz!” cheered Priyam.

“Since when do you care about what teacher you have?”

“Since he has the word “hot” attached to the word “teacher,” Priyam explained, even if she thought the answer was obvious. “We should go soon. I don’t want to miss out on a good desk.”

 

They arrived at the classroom and noticed the whole front row was already taken by girls. “Guess you weren’t the only one with that brilliant idea,” teased G.

Mrs. Smith, a skinny woman with frizzy brown hair entered the classroom and saw all the girls sitting at the front with the exception of G and Priyam. “I assume everyone knows,” she said starring at the giggling girls at the very front, “but for those who don’t, Mrs. Hale left the institution for personal reasons. In her place will be our new teacher, Mr. Blau.”

“What personal reasons?” G asked Priyam finding it strange that someone like Mrs. Hale would leave her class without a single word. “That woman almost had her baby on the classroom over her obligation to the school.”

“Who cares? It’s not like-” Priyam couldn’t finish her sentence. Her complete attention focused on the new teacher walking into the classroom.

 

Mr. Blau, a tall, toned man in his early-twenties, with light brown hair, a Greek nose and piercing green eyes, walked into the classroom and everyone turned silent. G knew the rumors mentioned the teacher was hot but this was ridiculous. Between the intimidating presence and sharp features, his expression was cold and calculating.

There was a contrast between his youth and age. His face looked young but his manners and clothes him gave an elegant old vibe. His posture was flawless, and so was his body. The fabric of his pants and fitted vest, framed his body, while the rolled up sleeves accentuated his lean, muscular arms. A stylish black leather forearm cuff covered up to a few inches below his left rolled up sleeve. Something about that bracelet made G think of one of the blacksmith’s Priyam loved to flirt with at the yearly Renaissance fair.

Mr. Blau glanced at her classmates and stopped on G. His beauty was breathtaking.

 

G felt like a powerful magnet was pulling her towards him, but unlike everyone else, it wasn’t his looks that were enchanting her, it was the strange feeling of familiarity and need she had for his approval. She felt like she knew him, and more than that, she felt like he knew her too. The real her, whoever that was.

Blog Tour: Roseblood by A.G. Howard

Tags

A.G. Howard, Book Release, Fantasy, Phantom of the Opera, Rockstar Book Tours, Roseblood, Young Adult

I am so
excited that ROSEBLOOD by A.G.
Howard releases today and that I get to share the news!

If you
haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author A.G. Howard, be sure to
check out all the details below.

 

This blitz
also includes a giveaway for a signed ROSEBLOOD poster and a mask courtesy of
A.G. and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the
Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

 

About The Book:

Title: ROSEBLOOD

Author: A.G.
Howard

Pub.
Date: January 10, 2016

Publisher: Amulet
Books

Pages: 432

Formats: Hardcover,
paperback, eBook

Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads

In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned
to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked
to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping
creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts
conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have
ties to The Phantom of the Opera.

At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive
violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that
seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own
masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance
blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly
choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has
haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known.

 

 

About A.G. Howard

 

A.G. Howard
was inspired to write SPLINTERED while working at a school library. She always
wondered what would’ve happened had the subtle creepiness of Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland taken center stage, and she hopes her darker and funkier tribute
to Carroll will inspire readers to seek out the stories that won her heart as a
child.

When she’s not writing, A.G.’s pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening,
and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century
graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

 

1 winner will
receive a signed ROSEBLOOD poster and a Mask. US Only.

 

Ends on January
17th at Midnight EST!

 

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T.O.E. Series Sales Blitz

Tags

Alecia Stone, Blackout, Book Blitz, CBY Book Club, Fantasy, Ground Zero, T.O.E. Trilogy, Talisman of El, Young Adult

 

Ground Zero

T.O.E Trilogy, Book 3

Author: Alecia Stone

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication Date: February 17th, 2016

Book Description:

It happens every 26,000 years.Only a few ever survive.

This time …

No one will.

That is unless Charlie Blake can locate all four diamonds to restore the
Talisman of El and receive his calling from the remaining three
elements before the Annus Magnus strikes. With both Arcadia and the
mortal world in a state of unrest, his life quickly spirals out of
control as it seems everyone has put a bounty on his head. Maybe even
his closest allies.

Not knowing who to trust, Charlie starts to dig up the past. When new
revelations arise, he begins to question whether the Legion of Light
really is what it claims to be and whether he’s been fighting for the
wrong side all along. The line between good and evil is no longer as
clear-cut as it used to be, especially when it appears Charlie’s destiny
could very well be to destroy everything he loves.

Hero or villain? Charlie isn’t so sure anymore.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK

Cover Reveal: Ocean of Stars by Belle Malory

Tags

Belle Malory, Cover Reveal, Fantasy, Ocean of Stars, Sci-Fi, Twelfth Keeper, Xpresso Book Tours, Young Adult

Today we have a reveal of the cover for the third book in Belle Malory’s Twelfth Keeper series. Check it out and let me know what you think of the cover. Have you read any of Belle Malory’s books before? If not, does this book make you interested in reading her previous books in the series?

 

Ocean of Stars
Belle Malory
(Twelfth Keeper #3)
Publication date: January 7th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult

One keeper down. Eleven to go.

Kennedy Mitchell has just survived an alien attack, but at what cost? The world still isn’t safe. The keepers still aren’t strong enough to defend it. The people still have no idea how much is at stake.

The Department of Extraterrestrials is planning an important mission, one that means seeking the help of another planet in order to save theirs. Kennedy is reluctant to leave at such a critical time, but her role in the mission is essential to its success. With everyone she loves still at risk, she’s willing to do anything to find the key to survival.

Even if that means crossing the universe.

Add to Goodreads

Previous books in the series:

 

Author Bio:

I don’t consider myself a writer. I’m a storyteller.

My two great loves are books and coffee. If it weren’t for books, my heart wouldn’t feel as full. And if it weren’t for coffee, I wouldn’t know what mornings are. That being said, the guy at Starbucks knows me well. He sings to me sometimes.

I live in Orlando, Florida with my family and two rescue mutts. Their personalities are like night and day. One is gold. The other is black. The gold one doesn’t like to sleep in. Before I’ve had my coffee, we are enemies.

You can visit me at http://www.bellemalory.blogspot.com. I love hearing from readers!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

 

Book Blitz: Shadow Fall by Audrey Grey

Tags

Audrey Grey, Blaze Publishing, Sci-Fi, Shadow Fall, Xpresso Book Tours, Young Adult

Shadow Fall
Audrey Grey
(Shadow Fall, #1)
Published by: Blaze Publishing
Publication date: November 22nd 2016
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

The asteroid hurtling toward the earth will kill billions.

The Emperor and his Gold Court will be safe in their space station, watching from the stars. The Silvers will be protected underground. But the Bronzes must fight it out at the Shadow Trials for the few remaining spots left on the space station.

When an enigmatic benefactor hands Maia Graystone a spot in the Trials, she won’t just get a chance at salvation for her and her baby brother, Max: She gets to confront the mother who abandoned her in prison, the mad Emperor who murdered her father, and the Gold prince who once loved her. But it’s the dark bastard prince she’s partnered with that will make her question everything, including her own heart. With the asteroid racing closer every day, Maia must trust someone to survive.

The question is who?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks

You can get your copy now for the special release price of 99 cents, and be sure to meet us at the Facebook Party happening right now!

—

EXCERPT:

My legs wobble as I step into the now lukewarm water. I sink to the bottom. Tiny bubbles escape my nose as I watch all the ugly remnants from the last seven years leave my body.

Lungs burning, I rise and come face-to-face with Pit Boy.

I glare at him. “You really have to work on the knocking thing.”

Despite the fact that I’m indecent, his attention never falls from my face. I almost wish it would, just to give me a break from the intensity of his focus.

“I only get a few more hours to be the ‘one-eyed freak’ from the pit. Might as well take advantage.” He doesn’t dare crack a smile, so it’s hard to tell if he’s joking or serious.

“Don’t worry. In my heart, that’s exactly who you’ll always be.”

His words remind me that soon we’ll be reconstructed using forbidden nanotech. But it won’t just be our flesh they’ll reengineer. It will be our brains, too.

I don’t foresee my rewiring being too complicated, but Riser needs to upload almost twenty years of false memories. That will be tricky and time-consuming.

And time is the one thing we don’t have.

Riser flicks his gaze to the mirror. He lifts a hand, touches the patch of mottled flesh where his eye should be.

“How did it happen?” I ask.

“Careful, my lady.” His gaze settles on my face. “You’re beginning to sound like you care.”

I roll my eyes. “And I thought I was lacking in conversational skills.”

He focuses his attention on the graffiti sprayed across the mirror.

“It’s written language,” I blurt, even though all I want to do is end the conversation so Pit Boy can leave. His presence unnerves me more than the other Pit Leeches ever could. “It’s how we communicate.”

“I know what it is.” He examines his jagged thumbnail. “I just . . . can’t read it.”

“It’s just stuff about the Chosen. You know, insults.” The populace is finicky. As much as they love watching the Chosen with their petty intrigues and court life, they would be just as happy to see their heads on a pike.

“Chosen?”

Time to explain what you are, Everly, Nicolai’s voice grates inside my head. Riser’s eyes flutter just enough that I know he’s heard Nicolai’s voice too.

You do it, I think, watching Riser’s reaction. But his face remains emotionless; either he’s a good actor or only Nicolai can hear my response.

“The Royalist astronomers discovered the asteroid twenty-one years ago,” I begin. “It’s actually a slow moving planet called an earth-crosser, meaning its orbit and ours intersect every twenty-thousand years. Usually it’s too far away to affect us, but this time it will pass close enough to wreak havoc and make the earth uninhabitable for years.” I stir the water with my big toe. “Before I was born, the Emperor decided that creating a population of genetically superior humans would be a great idea, you know, just in case the Caskets don’t work or the asteroid does more damage than predicted.”

Riser’s hyper-focused gaze bores through me. “You’re one of them?”

“Yes.” I run my hand through the filthy water. “But my father’s a Bronze, so even though my mother comes from a Gold House, the Emperor only allowed them one Chosen instead of the customary twins. So it’s just me . . . not Max.”

“What makes being Chosen so special?”

“I don’t know . . .” I bite my lip, trying to remember everything my parents told me. “My genes are perfect, I guess.”

For some reason, talking about my body makes me remember that I am naked in a room with a boy. As if reading my mind, Riser slowly lets his gaze fall, his expression both curious and unapologetic as he takes me all in, his thoughts cryptic.

“What are you staring at?” I blurt, smashing my breasts beneath my hands. Not like there’s much there to cover. “Haven’t you seen a naked girl before?”

A smile twitches his lips. “Not one that’s genetically flawless.”

“It doesn’t work that way! You can’t just look at us and tell. We look like everyone else—”

“No.” Riser shakes his head, a dark swath of hair covering his damaged eye. “You don’t. Whatever you are.”

“You must be happy . . . about our reconstruction, I mean,” I mumble, trying desperately to change the subject. “They’ll fix your eye . . . and . . . and all those horrible scars.”

I freeze as he slides off the counter, unable to look away as he hooks one finger beneath his shirt and lifts.

Scars ravage his anemic body in varying shades of red and silver and white. Some deep and pitted like the craters of a far-away planet, others smooth and neat. One particular nasty scar carves down his shoulder, tunneling across his chest and stomach. A fresh red wound nestles just below his throat.

He carefully touches the long ugly one. “I’m not ashamed for surviving.”

 

Author Bio:

Audrey Grey lives in the charming state of Oklahoma, with her husband, two little people, and four mischievous dogs. You can usually find her hiding out in her office from said little people and dogs, surrounded by books and sipping kombucha while dreaming up wondrous worlds for her characters to live in.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

 

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Book Review: I Am Princess X

Tags

Book Review, Cherie Priest, I Am Princess X, Mystery, Young Adult

I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest

Published by Arthur A. Levine Books on 5/26/2015

240 Pages (Hardcover)

Blurb: Best friends, big fans, a mysterious webcomic, and a long-lost girl collide in this riveting novel, perfect for fans of both Cory Doctorow and Sarah Dessen, & illustrated throughout with comics.

Once upon a time, two best friends created a princess together. Libby drew the pictures, May wrote the tales, and their heroine, Princess X, slayed all the dragons and scaled all the mountains their imaginations could conjure.

Once upon a few years later, Libby was in the car with her mom, driving across the Ballard Bridge on a rainy night. When the car went over the side, Libby passed away, and Princess X died with her.

Once upon a now: May is sixteen and lonely, wandering the streets of Seattle, when she sees a sticker slapped in a corner window.

Princess X?

When May looks around, she sees the Princess everywhere: Stickers. Patches. Graffiti. There’s an entire underground culture, focused around a webcomic at IAmPrincessX.com. The more May explores the webcomic, the more she sees disturbing similarities between Libby’s story and Princess X online. And that means that only one person could have started this phenomenon—her best friend, Libby, who lives.

My Take: It has taken me the better part of a week to put my thoughts together enough to form a cohesive and honest review for this book. I will start by admitting that this was a rare time where I judged a book solely by its cover. I grabbed it from the library after seeing a princess wielding a sword because I felt that had to be an awesome book to read. After all, who wouldn’t want to read about a sword-wielding princess that fights her own battles against some enemies? Heck, I still want to read that book. This was not that book. And if I had read the back of the book, I would have known and understood that before checking this out.

All of that being said, this was still a really good book. Not the book I expected to read nor the one I wanted to read, but also not one I regret reading. It is hard to discuss this book, given that there are many mysteries that even discussing the first chapter or two could potentially lead to a spoiler or two, so rather than discussing the book (it is good) or the plot (it is riveting and intriguing!) I will instead focus on what worked well in this book as a complete package. Forgive me for being vague where I need to, but I really would hate to spoil anything for a new reader, and hope that you will be that new reader who picks this one up.

I absolutely loved the integration of the comic book elements into the book. I found them to be fitting with the story and the timing of some provided foreshadowing while others helped to show some of what the main character is reading as she is trying to uncover the mysteries being presented. I am certain that, if I reread the book, I would find a lot of subtle hints hidden in those comic strips that I missed the first time through, which is pretty awesome to think about as well. It was a nice addition to the story and it worked really well for me.

The level of realism that permeates through the plot and the characters is another thing that impressed me. I had a clear sense of who all of the characters were, and even the antagonist (when revealed) made sense and was scary in a “this could really actually happen” sort of way that I can appreciate upon reflection. In fact, the whole plot and the web of mysteries, the twists and turns along the way that pull you along through the story, were all excellent because of the ability to see it being a real situation that could happen. That, more than anything, is where this story succeeds. You bond with the characters, you share in the excitement and the mystery, and you recoil at the proper times because you believe it is possible. Some moments might be a stretch, but it never shifts into the realm where you have to suspend disbelief in order to keep going.

So overall this was a good book and I am glad I read it. This wasn’t a mystery on the same level of greatness as a Sherlock Holmes story, but few are capable of achieving that height. The story surpassed all of my expectations (once they were adjusted to fit what the story actually was rather than what I mistakenly thought it should be) and I can confidently recommend this to anyone who is looking to pick up a short and interesting mystery. The fact that it is a Young Adult mystery makes it a fast read, and the comics interspersed throughout also aid to that. It is definitely the sort of book you could pick up and read in a day, or at least a weekend, and I highly recommend that you do so. It’ll be a more rewarding investment of time and money than going to a movie.