Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

May 17, 2015July 14, 2019 / Absidity Art / 2 Comments

Published April 14th 2011 by Dutton Adult

“Hi, I’m the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . “

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It’s company policy.) But they can’t quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O’Neill can’t believe this is his job now- reading other people’s e-mail. When he applied to be “internet security officer,” he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth’s and Jennifer’s messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can’t help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he’s falling for Beth, it’s way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?

I am seriously fan girl-ing right now, I just went and followed all Rowell’s social medias so I could stalk her, umm I mean see what book she has coming out next.

I was in love with this book by the first few pages. I think this is the fastest I’ve ever devoured a book. I got the book that morning and read it all that day. That’s a new record for me. (i’m writing this review two days later). I came up for air, once, to put up a Goodreads update – Page 48: Loving this book and thinking “why have I not read any Rainbow Rowell until now”.

I finished the book late-ish Friday night – Page 322: Love Love Loved this book. I’m jumping up and down and smiling, LOVED IT – review to come 🙂. I only open it it intending to have a look and reading it later when I was on holidays. Just the first few pages had me hooked and I didn’t go to bed until I’d finished it. I loved Rowell’s writing, her humour, snappy dialogue and devour-able prose.

The Main Characters: Lincoln O’Neill, Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder; I love them all and they are now my imaginary best friends 😛 what I wouldn’t give to have a working friendship like Beth and Jennifer’s. The characters are all 28 (my age) and it’s nice to see other people not having there s**t together. It’s a funny, heart-warming story that feels real. My favorite books usually involve magic, mythological or paranormal creatures, but Rowell’s left me feeling happier than any book has in a long time. I was smiling like I’d just won the lotto when I finished the last page.

The story swaps between Lincoln “page shots” of Beth and Jennifer’s emails and Lincoln in the 3^rd person. The story is set back in 1999/2000, the whole point being that people didn’t have iPhones etc. back then so we see the two female leads converse using inter office email. Then there is the poor smuck Lincoln that has to monitor those inter office emails. At this time 1999/2000 I was in high school and they did monitor your computer use, I know this because I got in trouble off the librarian once for some “inappropriate” story I was writing.

The girls are immediately like-able. But for me Lincoln became the star of the show. He was lonely and stuck in a rut. He hated his dead end job that made him feel like a perverse nut job. Now I can see why some people mightn’t like this, they might write Lincoln off as a creepy loser. But I love how we get to watch him grow, watch him try to be a better person and succeed. He gets out of his rut, he gets his s**t together and he gets the girl, the right girl! Go Lincoln Go!

I love Lincoln, yeah so what if he fell for Beth while reading her emails –Ah hello, he gave Jennifer his MacDonald’s while he changed her flat tyre in a storm, super hero! – Beth did some Lincoln stalking as well, so meh, all’s fair in love and war. I did some house drive by stalking when I was younger LOL and he married me, my husband the silly man.

So Five Stars. I’m going to leave it at that because if I try to tell you anymore about the story I’ll give it all away.

Rainbow Rowell writes books.

Sometimes she writes about adults (Attachments and Landline).

Sometimes she writes about teenagers (Eleanor & Park, Fangirl and Carry On.).

But she always writes about people who talk a lot. And people who feel like they’re screwing up. And people who fall in love.

When she’s not writing, Rainbow is reading comic books, planning Disney World trips and arguing about things that don’t really matter in the big scheme of things.

She lives in Nebraska with her husband and two sons.

Website – http://www.rainbowrowell.com

Twitter – https://twitter.com/rainbowrowell

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/rainbow.rowell.author

Instagram – https://instagram.com/rainbowrowellbooks/

Tumblr – http://rainbowrowell.tumblr.com/

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4208569.Rainbow_Rowell

Stake-Out (Paranormal Detectives Book One) by Lily Luchesi

April 27, 2015July 14, 2019 / Absidity Art / 5 Comments

Detective Danny Mancini is on a case, following a murder suspect. When he catches him, he finds out that the perp isn’t even human: he’s a 200 year old rogue vampire!

The department doesn’t believe him, and puts him on early retirement, despite his many years of service to the Chicago Police Department, which sends him into a downward spiral.

Two years later, Danny gets an invitation from the beautiful, young and very attractive Detective Angelica Cross to join a secret branch of the FBI to help her track down Vincent, the wayward vamp.

But renegade werewolves, meddling immortal witches and Danny’s strange visions of a life lived a century ago with Angelica make things more difficult than it should be.From the beginning it is easy to care about Danny – A detective doing his job and doing it well, who witnesses’ something unbelievable. And of course no one believes him; he is pushed out of the CPD, labelled as crazy and unfit for work. Danny is barely surviving, living on bottle after bottle of booze when along comes Angelica Cross and the PID (The secret paranormal investigation department of the FBI). A Vamplet, Angelica is the daughter of a human male and a vampire female. Angelica is sexy, strong and determined to catch the bad guys. Though the whole book Danny struggles, he’s had so much thrown at him and never really recovers. I hope that in the next or third book his life can come together for him. At the very end of the epilogue, I felt like there was hope of that, as he’d realised his mistakes.

Even though it was easy to guess Angelica Cross’s big secret early on, I loved that Danny didn’t. There are all sorts’ twists and turns along the way, some expected, some not. The story was fast paced, action packed, entertaining and emotional. I was swept up in Danny and Angelica’s world.

In this the first book, we meet two villains, but only one of them dealt with, leaving what could be an epic show down between Angelica and the powerful and malicious witch Fiona Gullifoyle.

I am really looking forward to the next installment. Bring It On.

My favourite parts:

The flash backs to Danny’s previous life, I loved the whole epilogue (even read it twice).

The vampiric history lesson Angelica gives Danny – Fascinating.

All the little snippets of song lyrics that accompany each chapter break – It is a really lovely, quirky touch. The emotion in the song lyrics matched the chapters perfectly each time.

Lily Luchesi is a young author/poet born in Chicago, Illinois, now residing in Los Angeles, California. Ever since she was a toddler her mother noticed her tendency for being interested in all things “dark”. At two she became infatuated with vampires and ghosts, and that infatuation turned into a lifestyle by the time she was twelve, and, as her family has always been what they now call “Gothic”, she doesn’t believe she shall ever change. She is also a hopeless romantic and avid music-lover, and will always associate vampires with love, blood and rock and roll. Her interest in poetry came around the same time as when she was given a book of Edgar Allan Poe’s complete work. She then realized that she had been writing her own poetry since she could hold a pen, and just had not known the correct terms. She finished her first manuscript at the age of fourteen, and now, at twenty-one, has two contributing credits in anthologies and the debut novel, Stake-Out.

Twitter – www.twitter.com/LilyLuchesi

Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/LilyLuchesi

Facebook Profile – www.facebook.com/lilyluchesibooks

Instagram – www.instagram.com/lilyluchesi

Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7369101.Lily_Luchesi

Prev post with Lily discussing the writing off Stake-Out http://wp.me/p431Gp-my

We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

March 31, 2015July 14, 2019 / Absidity Art / 2 Comments

We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

Release date: April 1, 2015

Thank you Simon & Schuster Australia for giving me an ARC to read and review

Four high school seniors put their hopes, hearts, and humanity on the line as an asteroid hurtles toward Earth in this contemporary novel.

They always say that high school is the best time of your life.

Peter, the star basketball player at his school, is worried “they” might actually be right. Meanwhile Eliza can’t wait to escape Seattle—and her reputation—and perfect-on-paper Anita wonders if admission to Princeton is worth the price of abandoning her real dreams. Andy, for his part, doesn’t understand all the fuss about college and career—the future can wait.

Or can it? Because it turns out the future is hurtling through space with the potential to wipe out life on Earth. As these four seniors—along with the rest of the planet—wait to see what damage an asteroid will cause, they must abandon all thoughts of the future and decide how they’re going to spend what remains of the present.

When I finished reading the last page I actually laughed at loud “that’d be right”. I closed the cover and muttered to myself “that’s brilliant”. Yep, I LOVED IT. And dare I say, I think it’s going to be the next big thing, I’m imagining the closing credits for the movie adaptation already.

I finished We All Looked Up on Sunday morning and I’ve been trying to figure how to write a review to do it justice ever since. Wallach’s writing is beautiful, easy to read, emotional and powerful.

We get backgrounds on the four view point characters and then follow them as they learn that there is an asteroid tearing toward earth with a 66.6% chance of impact, with the possible collision being so catastrophic it will wipe out the world. The four viewpoints are: the all-around golden boy and Jock Peter, the promiscuous and artsy Eliza, the good girl and overachiever Anita and the stoner and slacker Andy. Wallach uses teenage stereotypes and makes them feel real. He gives a world of complicated characters to care for and despise all at once. There is a little bit of all of us in this story somewhere.

We follow them as they try to survive until the end, as they try to deal with and make sense of their lives, as the world goes crazy and they try to come to terms with death. There are inner demons faced and new friendships made. The story keeps moving on, revolving through the different viewpoints. The different points of view flow beautifully and I enjoyed getting in all their heads.

The ending was open and leaves us to ponder. I’d like to think this book might make a few teens wake up to themselves. What would you do if the world was coming to an end? I found a few parts hard to swallow, mainly Anita’s struggle of living her life for everyone other than herself, as I feel that way sometimes, so that made me contemplate my own situation.

FIVE STARS for the next big thing > > > We All Looked Up.

Website – http://www.tommywallach.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/tommywallachland

Twitter – https://twitter.com/tommywallach

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18392459-we-all-looked-up

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/snovision

Tumblr – http://wealllookedup.tumblr.com/

Ice Kissed by Amanda Hocking

March 25, 2015July 14, 2019 / Absidity Art / Leave a comment

Ice Kissed (Kanin Chronicles #2) by Amanda Hocking

Publish Date: May 5^th 2015

A big thank you to Net Galley, Amanda Hocking and her publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read and review Ice Kissed.

In the majestic halls of a crystal palace lies a secret that could destroy an entire kingdom…

Bryn Aven refuses to give up on her dream of serving the kingdom she loves. It’s a dream that brings her to a whole new realm…the glittering palace of the Skojare.

The Skojare people need protection from the same brutal enemy that’s been threatening the Kanin, and Bryn is there to help. Being half Skojare herself, it’s also a chance for her to learn more about her lost heritage. Her boss Ridley Dresden is overseeing the mission, but as their undeniable attraction heats up, their relationship is about to reach a whole new level—one neither of them is prepared for.

As they delve deeper into the Skojare world, they begin to unravel a long-hidden secret. The dark truth about her own beloved Kanin kingdom is about to come to light, and it’ll change her place in it forever…and threaten everyone she loves.

I liked the synopsis of this book and requested to read and review it without realising it was the second book in a trilogy. OOPS!! But I read it anyway. I kinda wish I’d read the first book Frostfire first. I really enjoyed Ice Kissed anyway. I grew to love the characters, but I assume I would have already loved them if I’d read Frostfire first. And more than likely the big moment at the end would have meant more. I didn’t understand the depth of the ending of Ice Kissed until reading the synopsis of the first book while doing up this review post and I had an “Oh Snap!” moment.

A lot of the books I’ve been reading lately have been third person. It was so refreshing to step into a first person story via Bryn. I find first person to be so much more emotional and personal, I know it doesn’t work with every story – but it works wonders with this one.

The story starts with Bryn recapping a failed mission with Ridley and beating herself up over the failure. From the beginning scene of Bryn riding on horseback through the snow along high city walls, I was thinking “yeah I love medieval times, bring on some epic king Arthur settings and battles”. Then the words drove and SUV popped up and I was like “um, what, where the hell am I!”

Magic: After reading further on I was able to figure it all out: this is a story of trolls. I saw them in my head as human, oops. It is set in current times. The human world still exists, just as it is and the Trolls use a lot of our modern technology, hence the Range Rover they were driving in. I’m sure in the first book the whole world would have been built and I’d have already known this. We don’t see this Troll world thanks to magical Troll enchantments. Amanda Hocking really has beautifully blended our modern world with that of a Troll world secretly going on under our noses.

Romance: Bryn and Ridley have a forbidden romance thing going on. Ah it’s always sweeter when it’s forbidden. It’s always more exciting – well that’s my opinion.

At the 34% there is a sex scene which I wasn’t expecting, it’s not over the top or porno feeling. Stress less people. But it did make me realise I had no idea how old the characters were supposed to be. Also my brain went “Troll Sex, Um, well Trolls are humanoid, yes, yes, I’m imagining this correctly”. And really they are very human these trolls, they just live in secret from humans and have magical abilities. I’d been imagining Bryn as about 17-ish, but she may have been older, I really don’t know. She started working at twelve and after that I found it hard to figure out her time line.

Action: After the 34% mark the books takes off at light speed with Bryn leaving Ridley and her home with the Kanin to help the Skojare. At this point I delved into a fast flowing world of danger and mystery and Bryn fighting for what she feels is right. And I loved it. And I’m devastated that I have to wait until August to read the next book and see how things turn out. And I’m not going to tell you anymore about it or I’ll give away all the twisty turny awesomeness.

I really enjoyed being in Bryn’s head, I found her really engaging and her life captivated me. FIVE STARS.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3486415.Amanda_Hocking

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amanda_hocking

Facebook: www.facebook.com/amandahockingfans

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/aehocking/

Wattpad: www.wattpad.com/AmandaHocking

Website: www.worldofamandahocking.com

Nobility by Kayla Bain-Vrba

March 22, 2015July 14, 2019 / Absidity Art / Leave a comment

Nobility by Kayla Bain-Vrba

Published March 18th 2015 by Less Than Three Press LLC

I received a copy to read and review through Net Galley, so thank you to the Author and Publisher for allowing me this opportunity.

Determined to escape an arranged marriage, and with very few options available, Danna brings a curse down on herself and settles into life in an enchanted tower. The very last thing she needs or wants is to be rescued, no matter how beautiful or compelling her unexpected rescuer is.

Nobelle is desperate to avoid the hangman’s noose, and as last ditch efforts go her life could be worse than rescuing a bratty princess. But an easy way to stay alive turns into a complicated tangle of lies as she and Danna grow closer and Nobelle has no easy way to admit that she’s no knight in shining armor…

I so wanted to love this, but it all moved way too fast and I didn’t get a chance.

The story is a cute, quick, insta love story. Nobelle is the arse kicking outlaw and Danna is the pretty princess with more to her than meets the eye. There are little snippets of humor the whole way though keeping the story light, fresh and entertaining. There was definitely a really strong background for what could have been spun into a longer and more thrilling tale.

I really loved the sound of this story, its synopsis and the cover. I think if the author had had the extra pages to build the characters and the world more, I would have loved it. I wish it had been a longer story so that we could have watched the Women fall in love – I know it’s only a short story but it just felt too rushed for my taste.

Twitter – https://twitter.com/KaylaBainVrba

Tumblr – http://kaylabainvrba.tumblr.com/

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5357735.Kayla_Bain_Vrba

Live Journal – http://kaylabainvrba.livejournal.com/

Incite by Erica Crouch

March 15, 2015July 14, 2019 / Absidity Art / 6 Comments

Incite (Ignite #2) by Erica Crouch

Earth is in ruins, and the war of Heaven and Hell has spilled over into the mortal world. In the frozen wasteland of the apocalypse, Azael and his band of cohorts search for Pen and Michael with orders to kill. Little does he know that his sister has incited a rebel army of her own.

Angels and demons alike stand side by side, ready and willing to fight for a future they didn’t realize they could have. Change doesn’t come easy, though. Pen is wary of joining New Genesis’s revolution, but when Azael shows his hand and Pen learns all that he holds over them, she chooses to fight back, no matter the risk. She only has to survive, one hour at a time.

“Strength does not come from remaining untouched and unaffected. It comes from picking yourself up again and again, no matter how many times you’re thrown to the ground and shattered.” Micheal – I loved this quote in the book.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first. I was apprehensive going into it thinking that I was going to hate reading from Azael’s perspective, but I did enjoy it.

Nothing is accomplished in this book and we are left with a rather large cliffhanger. It’s really just a bridge from a good first book to what feels like it will be an epic finally (hopefully in the third book).

There is a lot of running/flying away from danger, which does lead to a fast paced story. We meet New Genesis a group of Angels and Demons banded together by the same beliefs that we saw bring Pen and Micheal together in the first book.

It was well worth the read and I am looking forward to the next installment, until then I’ll keep my fingers crossed that Pen’s heart will beat again :-).

My Review of Ignite >> http://sarahfairbairn.com/2015/02/04/1257/

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21971646-incite

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ericacrouchbooks

Twitter – https://twitter.com/erica_crouch

YouTube – http://youtube.com/moreerica

Blog – http://ericacrouch.com/

Paranormal Keepers by Jen Naumann

February 23, 2015July 14, 2019 / Absidity Art / 2 Comments

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Paranormal Keepers (Paranormal Keepers #1) by Jen Naumann.

Published March 11 2014 by Phantom Owl Press (Patchwork Press Cooperative).

I received a copy to read and review through Net Galley, so thank you the Author and Publisher for allowing me this opportunity.

Everyone thinks Harper Young killed her boyfriend. No one will say it to her face, but the signs are everywhere.

It’s almost been a year since Gavin was torn from Harper’s arms and brutally murdered. The police wrote it off as a freak accident, deciding Harper’s strange testimony was given under duress. But she knows something unnatural was involved and refuses to stop looking until she finds his killer, even if it means her reputation as a senior is ruined. Even if it means there really are monsters living among us.

With the discovery of the mothmen, witches, vampires and all the creatures she always suspected were out there, Harper finds herself amidst a complex bundle of unseen heroes who call themselves “Keepers”, sworn to keep the secret of the paranormal creatures that walk this earth. As she tries to understand what’s so special about her that she’s able to break an old Keeper law, Harper has a baffling vision of kissing a mysterious guy before a blade is brought down on him. Before she can get a handle on her future, she becomes central to a battle between the questionable “heroes” and the evil she’s been training to fight, leaving her to wonder if there’s any way to change the fate that has been foretold before it’s too late.

I was drawn in from the start. I was drawn to Harper and Gavin even knowing that something bad was going to happen to them.

The drama starts with a Ouija board and sophomore party, that then leads to us witnessing Gavin’s Death, then following Harper’s struggle and search to find the truth. Harper’s search brings her to the attention of the Keepers; they abduct her and take her to Guardare Academy –Guardare Academy is a cross between Hogwarts and St. Vladimir’s Academy– where she goes on to meet Human Keepers, Paranormal Creatures and Human /Creature cross breeds. At Guardare Harper finds herself with many enemies, but she manages to find friendship in a Keeper named Dexter and later on love. After discovering dark secrets about Harper’s heritage, we are left at the end of the book with Dexter and Harper on the run.

This story was quite fast paced and especially action packed for a first book of a series. It laid the grounds for a new series and a new world, without feeling bogged down with information like some firsts can. The story was very easy to read and the writing flowed beautifully. I really enjoyed this book. It can’t really say much more without giving away the twists and turns, so I’ll stop and finish with “Four Stars”.

Naumann’s Twitter – https://twitter.com/naumannbooks

Naumann’s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jennaumannauthor

Naumann’s Instagram – https://instagram.com/jennaumann/

Naumann’s Website – http://www.jennaumann.net/

Naumann’s Book Blog – www.paranormalYA.blogspot.com

Naumann’s Goodreads – www.Goodreads.com/JenNaumannAuthor

Sky Rider by Nancy Springer

February 13, 2015July 14, 2019 / Absidity Art / 1 Comment

Sky Rider by Nancy Springer

First published in 1999. Re-released in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media Inc.

I received a copy to read and review through Net Galley, so thank you the Author and Publisher for allowing me this opportunity.

Everything changes when a handsome stranger rides off into the night on Dusty’s horse

There’s no way around it: Dusty’s horse Tazz needs to be put down. Once a champion jumper, Tazz can barely walk now due to hoof pain. And that’s not the only thing that’s wrong in Dusty’s life. Since her mother’s death, Dusty’s dad hasn’t stopped drinking—even after his drunk driving put Dusty in the hospital with a now-chronic back injury. Why don’t they just put me down too? she wonders.

While Dusty is giving Tazz one last grooming, his ears suddenly prick up as a stranger approaches: a young boy with an otherworldly beauty. He offers to take Tazz with him, and the two race off into the distance as though Tazz were in perfect health, with the boy perched on his back. Who could this person be? And what is he doing here?

It’s only when Dusty returns to school the next day that she hears about the boy who was killed. When she sees his photo in the newspaper, she knows that he’s the mysterious guy who rode off on Tazz. What she doesn’t know is that he will soon return.

This was a short and sweet story with a beautiful horse and a happy ending (well as happy as a story with a 16 year old that’s killed by an unjustifiable and inexcusable crime can be).

So we have two young characters that have both suffered grave injustices – 16 year old Skye Rider and 14 year old Destiny “Dusty” Grove – you can tell pretty early on that Skye and Dusty need each other, that they need to heal each other. The story is written in multiple points of view; log reports from an Angel supervising Skye’s transition, diary entries from Dusty and a narrator that I couldn’t quite figure out.

This is a fast paced story about love, justice and finding peace. There was a bit of insta love, but I just ignored that. I liked Dusty; she’s only fourteen and she’s already lost her mother to the grave and her father to alcohol. Even after the car accident that results in her being in constraint pain she doesn’t give up and doesn’t complain.

I liked this book; sure I wasn’t tearing through the pages or staying up all night to find out what was going to happen next and yes the ending was predictable, but still satisfying. It was nice.

This is the second ‘horsey’ book I’ve read and I’ve got a few more on my TBR list. I think I’m finally starting to understand why so many little girls want a Pony (I wanted a T-Rex). I think I’m finally understanding that Horse and Human bond (I still want a T-Rex – but horses I must admit are awesome). I found it interesting that in this book the Horses can see spirits, is that a thing? I know horses are supposed to be brilliant at interpreting people and “reading their souls” (I heard that on some documentary where they use horses in therapy) and I was wondering is this something people believe? – anyway back to the book – So I didn’t fall in love with it, but it was short and sweet and well worth the read. I will definitely be looking into Some of Nancy’s other works.

Three Stars.

Website – http://www.nancyspringer.com/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/NancySpringer

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NancySpringerNovelist

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22547.Nancy_Springer

Down The Wormhole by Ana Franco

February 10, 2015July 14, 2019 / Absidity Art / 1 Comment

Down The Wormhole by Ana Franco

Release date: March 17th, 2015

Publisher: French Press Book Works

The Pitch: “A young orphan girl bonds with four mythological gods while trying to find a true home for herself”.

I received an ARC from the author to read and review, so thank Ana Franco.

In a city there is a tiny lane that separates two orphanages – one for boys and one for girls. Inside live two very special groups of teenagers. These teenagers carry a secret and leave it tucked safely away in their mysterious lives.

Then one day, a girl named Kitty arrives. No last name, just Kitty.

Before Kitty has time to be astonished by the teenagers’ real identities, she is whisked into a magical realm that slowly unfolds her own. She must come to terms with her true place in the world while she can, because time is ticking and there are secrets in the wormhole.

Travel with Kitty and her new friends Down The Wormhole into a mysterious world of magic, mythology, and mayhem.

“Ana’s YA Novel weaves mythology with modern life and creates a magical tale that will attract readers from all genres.” – Pen Name Publishing.

“The narrative in this book was something else. I mean that in the best of ways. This: ‘She widened her eyes and opened her mouth, looking like an email emoticon’ was one of the best descriptions I’ve read in a book in forever. It had me laughing silly for the longest time.” – Blackbird’s Nest.

“Throw in a plot twisted with deceit, revenge, a magical bracelet, and a wormhole leading to the land of gods, and you have an enticing journey. Oh, and there is also the gratuitous love story many young readers seem to expect.” – Amazing Stories.

“Down the Wormhole is a good book. It’s barely 100 pages, so Franco does not waste pages with anything unnecessary to the story, which I am always appreciative of, especially if sequels are promised.” – Purple Owl Reviews.

To start off with we get a Lewis Carroll Alice in wonderland quote to set the mood:

“Alice laughed: ‘There’s no use trying,’ she said; ‘one can’t believe impossible things.’  

‘I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’”

Alice in Wonderland is one of my all times favourites, so I was very nervous here – Was this going to be a copycat sort of thing?

I realised very quickly that Ms Franco has her own strong voice and has created a unique story using a blend of Nordic, Celtic and Egyptian mythology with modern day teenagers in all their overreacting drama filled glory.

The beginning was so strong. The first chapter of Eris and Sif fighting in The Land Above All Clouds was fantastic; I would have loved to have read a whole story up there about those two.

Once we swapped from Sif’s to Kitty’s life it lost a little bit of it lustre for me. I had to keep reminding myself thought-out the story to stop being an adult and enjoy the impossible happening.

My favourite character was the villain of the story, the Goddess of Chaos, Eris. But I think the aim was for people to love Kitty, Oops my bad. My least favourite character was Anna. Anna’s treatment of Kitty during labour put her right up there with the likes of Dolores Umbridge in my hatred of book characters.

The writing was choppy with a furious pace and to her credit Ms Franco fitted a hell of a lot of story into very few pages. I really wanted to love this story. It had some of my favourite things in it – mythology, magic, love and revenge. The synopsis sounded interesting and it had gotten a few good reviews. But I just couldn’t get into it. I read an ARC so I can’t comment on what the finished product will be once it is buffed and polished, but this version had a lot of mistakes (sentences with words out of order, misspelled words). I’m normally not one to nit-pick at grammar and spelling as my skills are very poor – if it doesn’t affect the story then I really don’t care. But I found it very hard to read this at times and I really do think that is what lowered my enjoyment. Once it is published I will buy a copy and re-evaluate, because there was real potential for an awesome story under it all and Ms Franco has a wonderful vision of a fantastic new fantasy world.

Blog – https://anaisthebookworm.wordpress.com/

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/anathebookworm

Twitter – https://twitter.com/anathebookworm

Publisher – http://www.frenchpressbookworks.com/

Ignite (Ignite, #1) by Erica Crouch

February 4, 2015July 14, 2019 / Absidity Art / 1 Comment

Ignite (Ignite, #1) by Erica Crouch

Publication Date: June 11^th, 2013

Pages: 346

Age: Listed as 12+

A BIG thank you to Net Gallery & Patchwork Press for allowing me a copy of this book to read and review.

Penemuel (Pen) fell from grace over a millennium ago, yet there are still times she questions her decision to follow her twin brother, Azael, to Hell. Now that the archangel Michael has returned, threatening Lucifer’s vie for the throne, she begins questioning everything she has always believed.

As Hell prepares for war – spreading a demonic virus and pilfering innocent souls to build an army – the lines separating the worlds blur. Fates erase and the future is left unwritten. Azael is determined that he and his sister will continue to serve as demons together, but for the first time in her life, Pen is not ruled by destiny. She has the freedom of choice.

With choice comes sacrifice, and Pen must decide which side she’s willing to risk everything fighting for: the light, or the dark.

This book is set in modern times with the POV character a the fallen angel named Penemuel (Pen) who now as a demon spends her time with her brother Azael (Az) killing and reaping the souls that they are assigned. We find Pen struggling with the demonic assassin life she leads and feeling that she doesn’t belong anywhere.

Enter Michael a newly born angel with an angelic past life set to hunt him down. So we end up with a demon that’s not pure evil and an angel that’s not pure goodness. Circumstances see them brought together and they awkwardly fall in love. For all Michael’s saying that he loves Pen and believes in her, he is quick to doubt her when it comes to the crunch – that annoyed me. But she never loses faith in him. And he wakes up to himself in the end.

We find out that the reason that Pen fell from Heaven was so she could stay with her brother who was always destined for Hell. We find out that Pen had always being alone in Heaven with a Az as her only friend. We see her struggle to cut the ties with her brother even though she knows she no longer belongs in Hell.

Oh and there is the drama with the half demons who can turn humans by biting them. Demi-Demons with werewolf abilities and vampirey desires. And then there is the small matter of Hell’s war on Heaven and the Apocalypse.

The story ends with the lines between the worlds erased; there is no Heaven or Hell, just an impending war on Earth.

It took me about the first 30% of the book to get into it. Nothing is black and white, just various shades of grey, various shades of right and wrong. There was one section near the end that frustrated the bajesus out of me, Michael and Pen are having a deep and meaningful when they’re about to get attacked. I was screaming in my head at them to “SHUT UP AND FLY AWAY NOW talk lovey dovey later”. So yeah I got into the story in the end.

I give it 4 stars. This novel is available now.

I’ve gone out and pre-purchased the 2^nd book Incite, it’s released on the 17^thFeb. The next book should be exciting, seeing what becomes of all the angels and demons stranded on earth. Michael regaining his memory of his previous life and Az being sent out to kill Pen and Michael on Lucifers orders. It’s written from duel POV, so as well as seeing into Pen’s Mind we see into Az. I didn’t like Az so it’ll be interesting to see how I find being in his head.

My tag line for this book; An action packed love story between a demon that’s not pure evil and an angel that’s not pure goodness