Thursday, January 28, 2016

Book Review: Seed of Scorn by Aaron-Michael Hall

Seed of Scorn is the second book in the series that began with Rise of the Nazil and this series just keeps getting better and better. Pentanimir is now the Zaxon, the leader of the Nazil and is facing many challenges. Brahanu is his wife even though she is not of Nazil. Factions of the population are still causing unrest, unable to accept his rule.
His brother, Danimore, has his own issues. Nikolina, the woman that he scorned in favor of the former slave, Zeta, takes her revenge on the couple. In doing so, she unleashes an other-worldly peril that might impact the entire world. Some new characters are introduced and their stories only add to the complex world that Hall has created. Ahvixx and Sahma are a young couple that become involved in the politics of the capital city.
The story has become more complex, yet the pace never falters and it draws you even further into this detailed and interesting world. New evil in the form of Lilinth appears to threaten the fragile peace of the land. The Guardians face new challenges and depend on the sons of Pentanimir and Brahanu.
I can't wait for the next book as this unique series continues to surprise and entertain me. I received this book as an ARC for an honest review.

Link to Amazon

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

New Release, Giveaway, and Review: Cora and the Nurse Dragon by H.L. Burke

smallcoracover.jpgCora and the Nurse Dragon is a new middle grade fantasy adventure by author H. L. Burke. It follows the adventures of Cora Harrison in a world where Dragons no longer live in nature but are a resource exploited by humans.
Ages 9 and Up.
The book releases January 31st and is available for pre-order at the special price of 99 cents.

Blurb:
Cora's a young girl with two dreams: to be a dragon jockey when she grows up and to own a pet dragon now. She constantly buys "egg packs" at the dragon emporium in hopes that one will hatch into a rare pet-sized dragon, but only gets short-lived mayflies. However, when an unexpected egg does develop into something new, Cora may be over her head.




Review:
Cora and the Nurse Dragon is a wonderful Middle Grade book that adults will also enjoy. Cora wants to be a dragon jockey. When she buys an "egg-pack" at the local pet store, she usually gets some short-lived mayflies. She is finally lucky enough to get a dragon that she names Cricket. Then she and her best friend Abry are off on a series of adventures. The local rich boy Xavian also joins in and they all become friends. 
This is a great book about treatment of animals, but not in a Hallmark sappy way. There is humor and lots of fun as well as some real teaching moments. And it has dragons! What more could you want. 
This is a perfect book for your Middle-Grader. If you're lucky, they'll let you read it too.


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Author Bio:
Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.

An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.

Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.

She is the author of a four part fantasy/romance series entitled "The Scholar and the Dragon", featuring the books Dragon's Curse, Dragon's Debt, Dragon's Rival, and Dragon's Bride as well as the YA/Fantasy Beggar Magic. Her current projects are a young adult steampunk fantasy and an epic fantasy trilogy.

Sign up for her monthly newsletter at www.hlburkeauthor.com

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Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Trad Tuesday - Ae Fond Kiss sung by Eddi Reader


Since Burns Night was yesterday, today I'll feature one of my favorite songs written by him. Eddi Reader is a noted Scottish singer who often features works by Burns.

Monday, January 25, 2016

New Release - Seed of Scorn (The Rise of Nazil Book 2) by Aaron-Michael Hall


Blurb:
With The Rise of Nazil and the defeat of the Vereuxs, the lands of Faélondul were freed. Pentanimir Benoist now stands as Zaxson—the most powerful man in the lands. The love he held for Brahanu was the catalyst for Nazil’s liberation. Will that same love also lead to its destruction?

In Seed of Scorn, the much awaited sequel to The Rise of Nazil, Pentanimir and the entire House of Benoist face an insidious threat—a threat that assails them on all fronts, yet remains largely invisible. Both Nikolina d’Garrion once pledged to Danimore Benoist and Molag Bomgaard—unwittingly manipulated by an ancient evil— threaten the peace of the lands and the lives of the Benoists.

With the release of a Zon’tul and an indissoluble pact, the pall of darkness manifests. A darkness the Guardians could not foresee nor deter. Will the warriors align with those of Nazil or allow the darkness to consume them?

Seed of Scorn takes the epic saga to previously unheard of levels of complexity and intrigue. It is an enthralling tale of love, honor, betrayal, and the perfidious depths people will descend for the sake of revenge. Aaron-Michael Hall’s craftwork—the unforgettable characters, the surprising twists, and turns, the intricate, rich plotting—will dazzle you. If you loved The Rise of Nazil, prepare to be blown away! Seed of Scorn will grip you from the beginning and leave you in awe.

Link to Amazon     


Book Trailer:
https://youtu.be/A86sRFjiluE

http://www.theriseofnazil.com


About the Author
Aaron-Michael Hall is a native of southern Illinois. He was born and raised just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Mo. in Lebanon, Illinois. After moving about the country, he has returned to his roots and where this journey began.

When he was younger, Aaron-Michael would get lost in the fantasy and sci-fi worlds created by Andre Norton, N.K. Jemisin, R.A. Salvatore, Octavia Butler, Ursula K. Le Guin, and R. Scott Bakker. These are but a few of his favorite authors.

Being from a large family, Aaron-Michael would often steal away high in a tree or nearby wood seeking solitude. While enjoying the peace his natural surrounding provided, he created his own worlds and languages. For hours, he would be lost in the magnificence of his own imagination. Some characters and elements created then are used now in his current series.

Seed of Scorn is the second novel in The Rise of Nazil series. It is a fun and intriguing read with a host of characters. When asked why he wrote this series, Aaron-Michael simply said, "It needed to be written."

It is his hope that the readers enjoy the wonders of Faélondul even more than he enjoyed writing about them.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Mid-Winter Sale from CIR


Here's a great opportunity for FREE and low-priced books of all genres!

Check out the Website!
https://cleanindiereadsale.wordpress.com/

Join the Facebook Event!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1647583538826704/




Thursday, January 21, 2016

Book Review: The Dragons' Chosen by Gwen Dandridge

The Dragons' Chosen is a terrific YA novel about a princess and her fate. Genevieve has been raised to do her duty even though she is slightly spoiled. She will obey when a message is sent that Genevieve must be sacrificed to the dragons that appear every hundred years or so, no matter how frightened she is.
Chris is a Berkeley student who suddenly appears in Genevieve's kingdom, sent to help her. The two travel together to the mountains where the dragons are waiting. Chris, who appears and disappears depending on her class schedule, is determined to help Genevieve evade her fate.
The writing is excellent and the story moves right along. Both Chris and Genevieve are engaging heroines and their personal growth as the story proceeds is interesting. The dragons are great! I don't want to give away the story, but this is a great book for YA and older adults also. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Link to Amazon

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

New Release: Landry in Like by Krysten Lindsay Hager


Series Info: The Landry's True Colors Series is a clean reads young adult humor series about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, middle school and high school, frenemies, crushes, and self-image.
Genre: contemporary clean teen fiction
Landry in Like (Landry's True Colors Series: Book 3) by Krysten Lindsay Hager
Blurb: Things seem to be going well in Landry Albright’s world—she’s getting invited to be on local talk shows to talk about her modeling career, her best friends have her back, and her boyfriend Vladi has becoming someone she can truly count on…and then everything changes. Suddenly it seems like most of the girls in school are into hanging out at a new teen dance club, while Landry just wants to spend her weekends playing video games and baking cupcakes at sleepovers. Then, Yasmin McCarty, the most popular girl in school, starts to come between Landry’s friendship with Ashanti. Things take a turn when Yasmin tells Vladi that Landry is interested in another boy. Can Landry get her relationships with Ashanti and Vladi back or will she be left out and left behind?  
Excerpt:
I wanted to call my friends and tell them about being on the talk show, but Mom said we had to be at the TV station super early — even before school started. She said I could text them, but I had to turn off my phone and go to bed.
“I’m waking you up at four a.m.,” she said. “You have to be there at five-thirty.”
“Can I just call Peyton and Ashanti? Please?”
“Fine, but you have five minutes and then that phone is mine and you’re in bed.”
I dialed Peyton, but her mom said she was in the shower. I told her mom about the show tomorrow and said my mom wouldn’t let me stay up any later to call Peyton back.
“How exciting! I will make sure Peyton knows, and I will be watching you tomorrow. Good luck, honey,” Mrs. Urich said.
I called Ashanti next and told her.
“Get out. Get. Out. No way. This is so exciting!”
“I’m so nervous. My stomach is already doing cartwheels. I can’t do one, but my stomach can. Seems unfair. What if I throw up before I go on? I did that right before I went on at the statewide Ingénue modeling competition in Detroit, and my mom had to give me a cough drop to cover up the smell.”
 “I’m sure you’ll be fine, but… just in case, take a cough drop with you,” Ashanti said. “Good luck. You’ll be great and I’ll go set the DVR now.”
 I hung up and sent a text to Vladi, India, Devon, Thalia, Tori, and Ericka, so no one would be mad and feel left out. Then I shut off my phone. Mom poked her head in the door to make sure I was in bed.
“Night, hon. Try to get some rest,” she said.
Easier said than done. I stared at my ceiling while thinking about all the things that could possibly go wrong tomorrow. Seeing as the show was on in the morning, I never got to watch it, so I had no idea what the set was like — did it have super high chairs and I’d struggle to get into them? And what if it had those higher stools that were kind of tippy and my rear overshot the seat and I fell off? Or what if the prep questions got lost and the interviewer asked me random things like my feelings on nuclear war or asked me about some foreign political leader who I had never heard of before, and I appeared stupid? Why did I say I’d do this? I tried to get comfortable and it felt like I had just dozed off when I felt my mom shaking my shoulder.
“Rise and shine, TV star,” she said.
Purchase:

Author bio: Krysten Lindsay Hager is the author of the Landry’s True Colors Series, a clean reads young adult series and the new Star Series. Krysten writes about  friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, middle school and high school, frenemies, modeling, crushes, values, and self-image in True Colors, Best Friends…Forever? And Landry in Like, as well as in, Next Door to a Star (Star Series). Her sequel to Next Door to a Star will be out March 22 2016.
Krysten is a book addict who has never met a bookstore she didn’t like. She’s worked as a journalist and writes YA, MG, humor essays, and adult fiction. She is originally from Michigan and has lived in Portugal, South Dakota, and currently resides in southwestern Ohio where you can find her reading and writing when she’s not catching up on her favorite shows. She received her master’s degree from the University of Michigan-Flint.
Follow:
Author talk show interview: http://wdtn.com/2014/11/06/true-colors/

True Colors (Landry’s True Colors Series Book 1):
What people are saying about True Colors (Landry’s True Colors Series Book One):

From Teenage Book Recommendations in the UK: “This is a fantastically relatable and real book which I feel captures all of the insecurities and troubles which haunt the modern teenage girl. It is about a young model who has to go through tough times when she is torn between a life as a model and managing her friendships. You learn which friends she can most trust and which will create the drama typical of teenage life. Follow the life of Landry and try to see if you can find out which are her true friends before their true colours are revealed. This book is all about relationships, hopes and truth. I loved this book!”