Monday, April 28, 2014



 
Releases on May 15th
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…  
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.    
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Monday, April 14, 2014

The Legacy of Kilkenny by Devyn Dawson

The Legacy of Kilkenny (Legacy of Kilkenny #1) by Devyn Dawson
YA Fantasy/Paranormal
Rating: 3 Stars



The Legacy of Kilkenny is the story of Abel Casey, an ordinary boy until the stunning Pru Phelan came to town and introduced him to his destiny. Pru had a vision that the Great Wolf was born and he can be found in Piedsville, Oklahoma and his name is Abel Casey. Pru's main assignment? To kill Abel... at least make his family believe he is dead.


The Great Wolf is expected to become the leader of all packs. As Abel starts training he begins to have abilities of a werewolf, he hasn't shifted and he doesn't want his family to believe he is dead. Will he be able to convince the pack that he can protect his family. Just when everything seems to be going okay, Abel's sister Allie meets a new guy named Arien.

Arien isn't any guy, he is a vampire and he knows the Phelan pack has found the Great Wolf, he wants to know who it is and he is threatening to turn Allie into a vampire if they don't tell him who it is. Allie is already moody, will she contract the Human Vampiric Virus (HVV)? Abel wants a relationship with Pru, but she only has eyes for her bodyguard Oakley. The story will have you cheering for the good guy.... hating the bad guy... dream of the sexy werewolves and love to hate the vampire Arien.
The multiple scenarios may be too much to bear for our newly unshifted werewolf Abel, can he save his sister? Will he find love? Will Pru be able to fulfill her assignment? Will Allie become a vampire? Who will be brutally murdered? Enjoy this page turning supernatural story.

My Thoughts: This book is a struggle. It was a complete mess of a struggle. First of, I love the idea. A pack of wolves are missing their great wolf and an unexpected human is destined to become this great wolf. While this idea is great there is so much wrong with how it was delivered.
            My first complaint is the switching between POVs. It was the fact that it was happening its more of how it was done. It was a constant change and it didn’t really help the story at all. In fact, after awhile it became annoying and hard to tell which character was talking. Another problem I had was the dullness of Pru. Every single time her POV came up she was constantly complaining about her role. She was constantly talking about how she doesn’t know how to kill him. We got it! We don’t need to hear about how horrible of a decision you have to make and how you don’t know how to do it.
            There are also random things thrown in that felt like it was a way to make the story longer or possibly to make it more of a happy ending. There are two things that were thrown in at the last possible minute when they should have been presented early. The first would be Abel’s ability to read minds. It was shoved in the your face in some random place saying, “Oh, yeah. By the way I can also read minds.” Um, hello! That’s important to the story, why would you wait to tell us that? The other is Chrissy. She just happens to show up at the end which is good for Abel to get over Pru but then you add the, “Oh, by the way I can read your mind to and talk to you because I’m part of your world.” Then add in that she knew what he was from the beginning, even before they started dating. Sounds like a stalker who wants to use him because he is the great wolf.
            My last complaint is the grammar. There were misspelled words everywhere. Especially the wrong words were used. You know like “hole” and “whole”, “which” and “witch”. That kind of thing annoys me and it got in the way of the story. I couldn’t focus on the story because of it.
            Overall, the plot is great and the action is good enough but there was too much that got in the way of actually enjoying this book. I actually started reading this book a while back but had to stop reading it because I was losing interest. Because of my determination I was able to get back in and finish it but the story left me disappointed. It’s a good book but it could definitely be better.


Cover: 2/5
Writing: 3/5
Characters: 3/5


Overall Score:


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Sunday, April 13, 2014

Untethered by Katie Hayoz

Untethered by Katie Hayoz
YA Fantasy/Paranormal
Rating: 4 Stars



Sylvie isn’t comfortable in her own skin. In fact, there are times she can’t even manage to stay inside it. But if there is one thing she’s sure of, it’s her love for Kevin Phillips. She’s willing to stake everything on it –her family, her friends, and possibly her soul.

Sixteen-year-old Sylvie has been best friends with Cassie forever. But everything is turned around when the boy Sylvie’s loved since fifth grade falls for Cassie. Devastated, Sylvie intends to get Kevin by any means possible, even if it involves treachery, deceit, and the dark side of astral projection. She is positive her plans will give her what she wants, but she doesn’t count on it all spiraling out of control.
Untethered explores the intoxicating and dangerous world of jealousy and obsession when coupled with paranormal ability. Finalist in Mslexia novel competition.

My Thoughts: Wow. I could not put this book down. I love this story. A girl passes out all the time and astral projects out of her body. But what happens when you accidently invade someone else’s body? The idea is amazing and I have never read anything like it.
            The characters are the only bad part of this whole book. Sylvie is probably the worst main character ever. She is self-centered and lets jealously control her. She is also very self-conscious and suffers from depression. Her whole life she is poked and prodded because of her astral projection and told she was hallucinating so it’s no surprise that she started to make stupid choices. The only relatable thing about Sylvie is the fact she is in “love” with a boy who barely sees her. Every girl has that happen to her sometime in her life. Only, Sylvie took it a step further and became the psycho best friend when he showed interest in Cassie.
            The reason this book is getting such high results is because I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The main character may have been unlikable at parts but the story itself was really good. The idea of it is amazing and the events that happen in the book really got me hooked. I found some grammatical errors that turned me off about this book but overall I enjoyed the book.


Cover: 5/5
Writing: 3/5
Characters: 4/5


Overall Score:

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Story Time Release Day Blitz &Soul Bound Cover Real


The Fire Dragon- A Flynn Nightsider Tale

Mary Fan, April 8th, 2014




Almost a hundred years ago, the Enchanters defeated the Lord of the Underworld in one of the most fearsome wars the world had ever seen. The public thinks that this victory means the people are safe. But they’re wrong. The supernatural beasts the Lord unleashed remain on the earth, multiplying and ravaging what’s left of civilization. As long as these monsters exist, mankind will be in danger. And though the government, ruled by the magic-wielding Enchanters, seeks to protect their people, they are too few in number. They need the Defenders – a special class of non-magical humans – to fight the monsters. The Defenders are an elite force, and mankind’s only hope against the horrors that live beyond their gates. Fourteen-year-old Aurelia “the Firedragon” Sun has been training since she could walk to become a Defender, and her extraordinary combat skills have earned the attention of the powerful government. In fact, she’s been tapped to represent her nation in an international monster-fighting competition, which pits champions from across the globe against creatures of the Underworld in a violent spectacle. If she wins, she will become a full-fledged member of the Defender force. But as Aurelia moves deeper into the competition, she realizes that all is not as it appears. There’s something sinister behind the competition, something that could change the way she sees everything … and the Enchanters, it seems, are not the heroes she thought. Aurelia begins to ask questions. But before she can discover the truth, she is pitted against the most dangerous monster in the competition – one that will take her life if it can .
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Fallen Souls- A Realm of the Claimed Novella
Linda Foster, April 8, 2014




Ash never thought going to a party could be dangerous. He certainly never thought it would change his life. But when a man with red eyes begins following him – and his sister – he realizes he was wrong. Soon they’re running, leading the man on a desperate chase over icy roads.
When Ash crashes his car, nearly killing his sister, the red-eyed man offers Ash a choice – save his sister, but pay the highest price possible. Bring Grace back to life, at the cost of his own soul. Suddenly, Ash is facing a choice he never sought. But will he use that choice to save his sister? And if he does … what will it mean for Ash himself?
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COVER REVEAL
Soul Bound:  The Realm Of The Claimed #1


Ash laughed -- an evil, hollow sound – and grasped his knife more firmly. Kali blinked slowly, her heart breaking. This wasn’t her Ash, she reminded herself. This wasn’t the boy who’d sold his soul to save his sister, or fought by her side. This wasn’t the boy who had changed everything she thought she knew about life, love, and herself.
“I’ll die before hurting you,” Kali repeated, lifting her chin. He possessed the greater strength now, she knew, and would beat her even if she fought. At least, in the end, she would die at his hand rather than someone else’s. Maybe he would still win his soul back that way. A boy who sold his soul to save his sister’s life. A fallen angel turned demon, seeking her redemption. And a surprising love story that could save them both … or destroy the world. Join Ash and Kali, and a cast of dark characters, as they fight for the fallen angels of the world, the right to choose their own path, and the one thing they never thought they’d find – true love.  


About the Authors

Mary Fan

Mary Fan is a hopeless dreamer, whose mind insists on spinning tales of “what if.” As a music major in college, she told those stories through compositions. Now, she tells them through books—a habit she began as soon as she could pick up a pencil. And what stories she has! Currently, she has three series in progress: her well-received Jane Colt sci-fi novels (Red Adept Publishing, released 2013), her upcoming Flynn Nightsider YA dystopian fantasies (Glass House Press, 2015), and her recently contracted YA fairytales, Fated Stars (Glass House Press, 2015). Mary would like to think that there are many other novels in her bag, and hopes to prove that to the world as well. And though she's well on her way, she can't help dreaming of more.
Mary lives in New Jersey and has a B.A. from Princeton University. When she’s not scheming to create new worlds, she enjoys kickboxing, opera singing, and blogging about everything having to do with books.
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Linda Foster

Linda Foster was born and raised in Colorado, where she still lives with her (very patient) husband and four (very spoiled) ferrets. Linda became an avid reading enthusiast the moment she picked up her first book, and has
grown steadily worse with time. By the time she was 15 years old, her library had become too big for her shelves, and she was forced to donate all of her books to the local school, just to make room for new ones. She started writing short novellas for her friends in middle school, and expanded into full-length novels several years later. Soul Bound is her first published novel. 


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Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Dare to Bleed by Mary Whitten

Dare to Bleed (Emily Sullivan #1) by Mary Whitten
Fantasy/Paranormal
Rating: 1 Stars



Emily is a normal girl with a nosey mother, a deadbeat father she has never met, and a vulgar outrageous best friend. Girls start dying around her apartment, and her love life is being turned upside down. On top of everything, two mysterious men have come into her life and informed her that she is the target of the killer. A vampire named Damon has stolen a book of spells and will do anything to force Emily to relinquish her powers. Powers she never realized she had. Emily must figure out what she is in order to save the life of her best friend before time runs out.

My Thoughts: I didn’t categorize this story as young adult because it wasn’t meant to be. But in reality it was. The lines between young adult and adult seem very vague in this story. The main character, Emma, is an adult but asks like a complete child. Most of the dialogue seemed bland and acted more as filler to make the story longer. The only thing it made me was bored and it took me too long to read it. I wanted to give up but I don’t like leaving books unfinished. Her “romance” in the story doesn’t make much sense either. You know that Ezra is supposed to be the love interest but it never really gets anywhere. They are probably the most immature couple I have ever read about.
            Overall, there was no connecting with any of these characters. I found them one dimensional and very annoying. I didn’t have patience for the book but I was able to finish it and thank god for that. I downloaded this book because the cover was interesting and the synopsis seemed okay. This is one of those times where the judging a book by it’s cover is a bad thing. The cover doesn't even tell you anything about the story. They don't correlate at all. Unfortunately, this book was a complete disappointment.


Cover: 3/5
Writing: 2/5
Characters: 1/5


Overall Score:


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