Review of Shadowed Skies by Haley Cavanagh

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Haley Cavanagh will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

In the shadowed aftermath of global destruction, humanity’s hope takes flight on the wings of the Evol-humans. River Shaw, secluded in his high-altitude sanctuary, seeks solace after a life scarred by loss. His quiet existence is disrupted when Delene Fairborne, fleeing captivity and a dark past, crashes into his world. Together, they find strength in their unique abilities, resisting the sinister forces that hunt them for a cure only their blood can provide. As love blossoms amidst the chaos, they face a ruthless scientist hell-bent on harnessing their power. Shadowed Skies is a tale of survival, sacrifice, and soaring hope, where two souls, bound by destiny, fight for a world on the brink. Dive into a world where love flies against insurmountable odds.

This is an interesting book and quite suitable for 13+ readers (and maybe some mature tweens). The action begins after the global destruction, a plague that affects all humans. The blood of the evol-humans is found to help.

There is a bit of backstory shared starting out...I actually thought for a bit that this might be the second book of a series (the story of Delene and Lily's parents sounds like it would make a good story.. just sayin'). Told in first person, present tense, alternating chapters, we see the story unfold from River and Delene's points of view. So, at times we get information from each of them that is similar as far as how everything came about.

There's a lot of story-telling, which is fine, but I didn't feel as connected to the characters as I might have...and I missed that in this book. I found River to be the more interesting of the two...I was very impressed with the survival skills his Pops had taught him. There were also a few twists in the book that I didn't see coming. Good job on that.

All in all, it was an interesting take on this trop... I've always enjoyed the idea of modified DNA and flying creatures. There are no loose ends and everything is resolved nicely. I would definitely pick up other books by Ms. Cavanagh. 4 stars

Read an Excerpt

I wake to a muscular, silent figure looming over me, his wings casting unnerving shadows. Intelligent dark eyes scrutinize me from his smooth, brown face framed by cropped black hair and raven quills. He’s been around the block.

My guard shoots up. I’d stand, but my body’s too weak from the climb. “Your nest, huh? Sorry, I didn’t see your name on it.”

“It’s carved right over there.” He points past me to the rockface. My eyes travel over the stone, where he’d etched River in craggy letters. The carved name is so tiny I didn’t notice.

“Now you’re supposed to tell me your name. That’s how this goes.”

I blink. “Delene Fairborne. Listen, would you mind if I–– ow,” I scrape against the wall and suck air through my teeth. I clamp my eyes shut.

“Are you okay?”

I shrug the blanket off, and my injured wing flops lamely near my shoulder. River’s eyebrows lower, and he comes closer.

“Let me look.”

He stows his serrated hunting knife, presents empty hands, and crouches to examine my injury. “Relax. I won’t hurt you. Let’s see the damage.” He’s gentle, avoiding the wound and handling my feathers softly. He lightly touches the bandage.

“Dr. Lytle runs the Stockade, the underground bunker and lab where the humans imprison and experiment on our kind. His men hunted me down and shot me with a crossbow as I tried to escape. The wound is still healing––I changed the bandage earlier, but without a spare set of clothes, I had to tear strips off my pants to re-dress it.”

“Hmm.” He examines the back with a frown. “There’s an exit wound.”

“Yeah, I pulled it out.”

“Well, that was stupid of you. You could have died if those goons pierced a blood feather.”

My temper flares. “Oh, as opposed to leaving it in. I’d rather take my chances, thanks.” My voice is hostile, though I’m grateful for his help. I still don’t know who he is or what he wants, and my mother warned me to be on my guard.

River sits back on his haunches, sighs, and meets my eyes.

“Doesn’t look good. How long have you been here, kid? A day or so?”

“I’m no kid. I’m seventeen.”

“Well, I’m eighteen. So, you’re a kid.”

“By what, a few whole months?” I snicker. “Okay. If a kid free-climbed in the pitch-black up a hundred-foot cliff to get here, I guess I’m a kid.”

After examining the wound, he says, “The damage looks fixable. Let’s clean this well to prevent infection.”

“I’ve cleaned the wound.”

“Clean deeper,” he admonishes. “I don’t have antibiotics, but I’ll try to get some. Or at least honey. Honey heals.”

He hesitates before retrieving water, then takes a rag from his pouch and soaks the cloth. With the knife still in hand, he comes closer.

“Look … You seem all right, but I’m a lone wolf. I operate solo. You have a target with a big ‘X’ on your back. I feel bad for you. I do. But you know how it is with our kind.” He gives me a blatant look, so here’s your cue to leave.

“Gee, I’d kindly vacate the premises, but I can’t fly.”

He rubs the back of his neck, agitated. “The valley’s full of drones. And they’ve got at least a dozen soldiers combing the forest.”

“I’m sorry.” I shift my eyes down. “You never asked for any of this.”

“None of us did,” he waves me off. “The soldiers are here.I’m screwed either way.” He pauses and assesses me. “Stay the night. Then after that, I’m sorry, but you need to find somewhere else to hide.”

The night might be all I need. “Thank you.”

About the Author:

Haley Cavanagh is a military veteran, wife, and mother. She is a multiple award-winning and best-selling author and the two-time recipient of the League of Utah Writers Silver Quill Award in 2020 and 2024. Haley is an alumna of Columbia College, a musical theater nut, and she loves to dive into any book that crosses her path. Haley resides with her family in the United States and enjoys spending time with her husband and children when she’s not writing. She loves to hear from her readers and encourages you to contact her via her website and social media.

Website: https://haleycavanaghbooks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haleycavanaghbooks/
Twitter: https://x.com/haley_cavanagh
Blog: https://haleycavanaghbooks.com/blog/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4841648.Haley_Cavanagh
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ambitioushales
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleycavanaghbooks/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HaleyCavanaghBooks-bg1um
Book Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOhhlRfCv_g

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1803417714
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadowed-skies-haley-cavanagh/1146032571
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/shadowed-skies
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/shadowed-skies/id6741011722
Powell’s: https://www.powells.com/book/shadowed-skies-9781803417714?partnerid=33157

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Review: Escape from the Past: The Duke's Wrath by Annette Oppenlander

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Annette Oppenlander will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

"...will grip the reader's total attention from beginning to end. Very highly recommended for school and community library..." -Midwest Book Review

"...an entertaining and fast-paced read that guarantees to thrill any young reader's/gamer's wish to be a hero in faraway time." -Historical Novel Society

When nerd and gamer, Max Anderson, is lured into trying an experimental computer game, he doesn’t realize he's playing the ultimate history game, time-traveling into the past...anywhere...anytime. Survival is optional. To return home he must decipher the game's rules and complete its missions--if he lives long enough. Tofail means staying in the past--forever.

Now he’s trapped in medieval Germany, unprepared and clueless. It is the year 1471 and he quickly learns that being an outcast may cost him his head. Especially after rescuing a beautiful peasant girl from a deadly infection and thus provoking sinister wannabe Duke Ott. Overnight he is dragged into a hornets' nest of feuding lords who will stop at nothing to bring down the conjuring stranger in their midst

Read my Review

Enjoy a rollicking lesson in history? Then you should try Escape from the Past: The Duke's Wrath. From the start I was hooked on this story. Max keeps remarkably calm for a young boy thrust several hundred years in the past. I'm not sure I would be able to do the same. Of course, at first he's thinking it's still all just a video game, but eventually he realizes the error of his assumption... largely based, I think, on the smell of 1471! The stench and the horrible food (at least that "enjoyed" by the lower classes) were vividly described and incredibly off-putting (as they should have been). While I'm certainly no history buff, I have read extensively in the genre and it seemed quite accurately described, without much of the glamour many other historical books seem to use to make the past appear a lot more romantic than it actually was.

Max is clever, sneaky and so very brave. He does things several times that horrify his new friend from the time, Bero, but those are the very things that lead to his advancement in the time. At first, he just wants to get home, but eventually he resigns himself to living there and begins to make a very solid life for himself. It was quite interesting to watch the change in him, as well as in Bero and Bero's family.

I know we have to take an incredible leap of belief to honestly think a video game could be a time machine... but, heck, who'd have thought a DeLorean could be one? I had to suspend my belief other times, as well, because Max was very mature in ways most kids today are not. But without that ability, he likely would have been dead on the fifth page and then where would we be?

I really did enjoy this story. While certainly written for a youthful audience, I don't know why adults couldn't enjoy it as well. I did, and I'm many years out of my first decade. I'm absolutely looking forward to seeing more from this author, and from Max! Now that he knows what he's actually dealing with, things should get interesting...

4 stars from me!

Read an Excerpt

The guard ignored me and stared over my shoulder. I thought of my comment to Bero on how to speak up to the Lord. It had been easy to say. Bero would laugh at me now.

“What seems to be the matter?” a voice called from behind.

“My Lord.” The guard bowed his head. “We caught a suspicious intruder, a probable spy. We await your orders.”

“He came from yonder.” The second guard, who’d returned with a huge sour-looking youth, pointed in the general direction of Bornhagen.

“Then there is no better time than now, say I. Turn him ‘round.”

The guard shoved me to face the group. Not ten feet away towered one of the largest horses I’d ever seen. Its humungous head swung back and forth as if it were proud of the armored breast and nose shields. On top soared Knight Werner whose piercing blue eyes searched my face. For a moment, the world retracted into stillness. I felt my knees wobble.

Any second now they’d cut off my head. Hadn’t Bero said the Lord would kill me? Yet, the Lord of Hanstein neither showed anger, surprise nor fear. Nobody spoke as I stood pinned between the guards, their hands iron cuffs on my arms. I smelled them, their unwashed bodies and filthy hands. I wanted to leave the game. Return to the safety of my former life. Now! All I could do was suck air. My room might as well have been on the moon. Werner’s men waited, probably ready to charge on command.

“Your name is Nerds,” Werner finally said. The blue eyes were unsettling.

I stared up in surprise. “I’m Max.”

About the Author:

Annette Oppenlander is an award-winning writer, literary coach and educator. As a bestselling historical novelist, Oppenlander is known for her authentic characters and stories based on true events, coming alive in well-researched settings. Having lived in Germany the first half of her life and the second half in various parts in the U.S., Oppenlander inspires readers by illuminating story questions as relevant today as they were in the past.

Oppenlander’s bestselling true WWII story, Surviving the Fatherland, won multiple awards, including the 2017 U.S. National Indie Excellence Award. Her historical time-travel trilogy, Escape from the Past, takes readers to the German Middle Ages and the Wild West. Uniquely, Oppenlander weaves actual historical figures and events into her plots, giving readers a flavor of true history while enjoying a good story. Oppenlander shares her knowledge through writing workshops at colleges, libraries, festivals and schools. She also offers vivid presentations and author visits. The mother of fraternal twins and a son, she recently returned to her home, Solingen, Germany where she lives with her husband and old mutt, Mocha.

Website: http://www.annetteoppenlander.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annetteoppenlanderauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aoppenlander
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/annoppenlander
Blog: http://www.annetteoppenlander.com/blog/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Annette-Oppenlander/e/B00W8QRTJ4/
Email: annette.oppenlander@yahoo.com

Buy Links ESCAPE FROM THE PAST Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Escape-Past-Dukes-Annette-Oppenlander-ebook/dp/B07SRDH2DY/ref=sr_1_1
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/escape-from-the-past-annette-oppenlander/1121795814
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/de/en/ebook/escape-from-the-past-the-duke-s-wrath

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Review: Taking Wing by Clemency Crow

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Clemency Crow will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Twelve-year-old Freya enjoys karate and is the only one in her class who’s trusted with a part-time job. But everything changes when she meets a boy with yellow eyes. She learns about the guardians, and how an age-old fight has prevented them from fulfilling their purpose.

Freya finds new friends in the Crow tribe, but not everything in the castle is blissful. A destructive shadow lies within her and all she needs to do to release it is close her eyes.

But as the guardians’ war rages on, Freya realises that, although the shadow’s power can be useful, it can’t create peace. To do that, Freya and her friends must solve the mysterious crime that began the war. Can they bring the guardians together before they destroy each other

My Review

Freya takes off on an adventure of a lifetime when she is attacked and then saved by a boy with yellow eyes. She discovers herself in another world--one of people who can transform themselves into birds (or, more correctly, birds who can transform themselves into people). She learns these bird clans have been tasked to be the guardians of humans, but for generations have been too busy fighting among themselves to do what they are supposed to be doing.

This is an exciting book - and would be even more so to kids middle-grade and a little older. There are many twists and turns as well as valuable lessons (all without being preachy). I loved the characters and the way they related to each other. It was good to see kids realizing that just because someone is different than you, does not mean they are less than or to be despised.

I'm looking forward to reading more of Freya and her friends' adventures.

Read an Excerpt

“You’re not used to it, Freya.” Winnie said. “We, each of us, have a soul. What you saw was simply an embodiment of your soul. They have been called many things over the years - conscience, spirit guides - almost every culture has a name for it. Only a handful of people, though, listen to them, and very few humans can summon them. I’ve never seen one summoned so quickly.”

“Can I trust it?” Freya could hear her voice shaking. “Is it good?”

“It isn’t good, or bad. No one person is entirely good, or bad.” Elialdor smiled. “But you can trust it for it cannot lie. But you must be careful - it’s motives are your deepest inner-most desires. Desires that even you don’t know you have. And you may be concerned to discover what they are.”

“I don’t think I ever want to close my eyes again,” she shuddered.

“It will help you defend yourself.” Winnie clasped Freya’s other hand. “It will guide you through learning your abilities - until you can command it as it now commands you.”

“And what happens if I can’t control it?”

There was a silence. Winnie looked at Elialdor, who stared back. Freya thought she could see a trickle of fear in their eyes.

“You’re a strong person, Freya,” the prince said at last, “you will control it.”

About the Author:

I can't remember when I wrote my first story. We had a word processor when I was very little. It was an archaic piece of technology with no mouse, which meant you had to know the codes for it to work. My sister, Judith, and I wrote several stories using this. I think one of my stories was about a mammoth, probably during my I-want-to-be-a-mammoth-when-I-grow-up stage.

When I was a bit older, during Year 3 at Primary School, another sister brought home several A5 grey jotters and gave one to Ginny and Judith to plan and write their stories in. Naturally, I wanted a notebook too, so I said I was writing a story called "The Rule of the Unicorns". I never finished that rather peculiar tale, but it meant I got one of those A5 grey jotters!

A good few years down the line and I'm a Primary Teacher in the tip-top north of Scotland. To encourage a love of reading in my pupils, I write a story with them in for their Christmas present. The first thing they do is flick through and try and find their name - but I hope they enjoy the story too!

When I'm not teaching, I love writing, working on my allotment and I'm crazy enough to be doing a Science degree at the same time.

http://www.clemencycrow.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/sprinklingmagic>
https://twitter.com/MenaceCCFC
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45726849-taking-wing
https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Wing-Feather-Down-Clemency/dp/1913182037

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School of Deaths by Christopher Mannino

This review is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Christopher Mannino will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other reviews.

Thrust into a world of men, can a timid girl find bravery as the first female Death?

Thirteen-year-old Suzie Sarnio always believed the Grim Reaper was a fairy tale image of a skeleton with a scythe. Now, forced to enter the College of Deaths, she finds herself training to bring souls from the Living World to the Hereafter. The task is demanding enough, but as the only female in the all-male College, she quickly becomes a target. Attacked by both classmates and strangers, Suzie is alone in a world where even her teachers want her to fail.

Scythes hungry for souls, Deaths who enslave a race of mysterious magicians, and echoes of an ancient war with Dragons.

As her year progresses, Suzie suspects her presence isn't an accident. She uncovers a plot to overthrow the World of Deaths. Now she must also discover the reason she's been brought there: the first female Death in a million years.

My Thoughts:

When Suzie finds herself suddenly snatched from her life to enroll in a School of Deaths, she's a bit out of her league. But the bullying and schooling she encounters forces her to draw deep within herself and find a strength she didn't know she possesses.

This is a good book for the middle age crowd. I think the girls can identify with Suzie and will be able to really empathize with some of the experiences she has.

My only complaint is that the book had more of a telling feel to it--it was like watching a TV show. I would have liked to have been drawn in a bit more into the characters. But, the book is well written and the story line itself is very interesting.

There are a few similarities with another popular kids book that shall not be named, but the plot itself is different enough that the book does not feel derivative. I am glad there's going to be a sequel--I look forward to seeing what new adventures are in store for Suzie and her friends.

3.5 stars.

Read an excerpt:

You ready?” asked Billy. He wore a mask over his face, showing only his eyes. He had insisted on covering his face to help the soul feel at ease. If they were transporters, they didn’t want to frighten their passenger.

“You can do this,” said Frank. His calm manner reassured her. He looked at her with his deep brown eyes and freckled face. She nodded and straightened the sleeves of her black robe.

She walked to Hann who stood in the center of the class. He handed her a long scythe, even taller than she was. It was light in her hand; the handle danced with energy. The blade slid through the air like sunlight through water. Life flowed down from the blade, coursing through the handle, sending tingles into her arm. Sweat beaded in her palms and trickled from her forehead.

“Let the scythe do the work,” reminded Hann, “and you’ll be fine.”

She nodded and walked back to her group. She tied herself to Frank and Billy using a tether. Then she held the scythe in her hands and paused.

This was ridiculous. She was a thirteen-year-old girl, a kid from Maryland, holding a scythe. Not some costume piece, but an actual, working scythe. Now she, Suzie, was supposed to Reap a soul. Even her mysteries with Sindril and the Dragon Key suddenly seemed trivial.

“Good luck,” said Frank.

She adjusted her grip and adjusted again. The tingles in the scythe grew stronger, itching her hands and arms. It’s ready. It wants to swing; to do its job. She moved her hands a third time and Frank glanced at Billy. Billy adjusted his mask.

“What’s the matter,” taunted Luc behind her. “Is the little girl scared?”

She clutched the handle and let the blade fall. She hardly moved, but the blade shot downward, slicing air, light, heat, even thought. For an instant, her arm was on fire and the world vanished into darkness.

The smell of strawberries exploded around her as color, form, and details blurred into a single, unending stream of confusion. She heard the sound of screams in the distance, and tears. The scythe pulled her down, down, down between the worlds. She slipped past the twin suns of the In-Between and watched the Mortal World approaching. On the edge of her vision, she glimpsed two bright pools of green fire.

“You grow stronger every day,” said the eyes. “But the greatest challenge is yet to come.”

She tried to turn, but the scythe pulled her onward. She coursed through stars and space, beyond time and emotion. Lighter than a daydream, she slipped through a crevice: the gap between light and shadow. The blade twisted, finding its way.

A face appeared before her: an elderly man she didn’t recognize. Somehow, she sensed a name: Elias Stoneridge.

She landed hard, stumbling as her feet hit a tiled floor. Beads of white light trickled off the blade.

For a moment, she couldn’t tell where she was. She heard beeps and the slow intake of air.

Frank patted her on the shoulder. “You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“Remember, don’t let anyone else see us,” said Frank, looking around the hospital room. Certified Deaths received special robes to help avoid mortal eyes. Ironically, the Deaths who’d inspired tales of the Grim Reaper throughout the ages had been students like her. Students and ones who didn’t make it back. She shuddered, remembering her skeletal appearance. It seemed long ago.

A man lay in a bed, connected to an array of tubes and machines. Suzie walked to the foot of his bed and read the name on his chart. “Elias Stoneridge.” The scythe quivered in her hand. The handle pulsed like a beating heart, or was that only her own heartbeat? No, the blade felt the soul, it was hungry.

“It’s his time,” said Frank, patting her on the shoulder. “Quickly, before someone comes.”

Elias’s eyes stared at her, but he seemed to look through her. He gasped for air and the machines behind the bed beeped.

“A nurse is coming,” said Billy, glancing into the hallway. “She’s only a few doors down.”

Suzie didn’t have time to think, but in a way, she didn’t have to. She didn’t even swing; she relaxed her muscles and stopped fighting the scythe. The blade leapt downward, straight through Elias Stoneridge. As it struck the weak stranger, she felt a strange sensation as the blade swam through the soul. For an instant, she swore she heard chewing, not from Elias, but from the blade itself. The scythe continued down through the floor, before swinging around. It pulled on her, jerking her into a stumble.

Elias sat up, his eyes wide with fear. His body lay on the bed and the machine let out a long, droll beep.

The scythe tingled again.

About the Author:

Christopher Mannino’s life is best described as an unending creative outlet. He teaches high school theatre in Greenbelt, Maryland. In addition to his daily drama classes, he runs several after-school performance and production drama groups. He spends his summers writing and singing. Mannino holds a Master of Arts in Theatre Education from Catholic University, and has studied mythology and literature both in America and at Oxford University. His work with young people helped inspire him to write young adult fantasy, although it was his love of reading that truly brought his writing to life. His wife, Rachel Mannino, is a romance author at www.RachelMannino.com

Mannino is currently completing The Scythe Wielder's Secret series and is working on several adult novels.

website: http://www.christophermannino.com/
blog: http://poetsfire.blogspot.com/
goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8108129.Christopher_Mannino
twitter: https://twitter.com/Ctmannino
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CTMannino
amazon author pg: http://www.amazon.com/ChristopherMannino/e/B00K2XOP88/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

PURCHASE LINKS:

main: http://www.christophermannino.com/school-of-deaths.html#.ViqjMPmrTIU
publisher: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/print-books/school-of-deaths-834-detail
amazon: http://getbook.at/SchoolofDeaths
barnes and noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/school-of-deaths-christopher-mannino/1119059176?ean=2940045799010
books a million: http://www.booksamillion.com/search?type=author&query=Christopher%20Mannino&id=6317074296178

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Book Review and Giveaway: The Girl of the Book by Princila Murrell

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Princila will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Twelve year old Courtney Parker is devastated to have to leave her friends and South Africa behind when her father accepts a lucrative contract and the family relocate to Saudi Arabia.

Jeddah feels like a different planet to Johannesburg. In spite of her initial reluctance to venture out of the comfort and security of their new home, she quickly forms friendships with Nizar Bukhari and Lana Alahmadi. However, not everyone is happy with the situation.

Courtney must learn to adapt to an alien, seemingly unforgiving culture and stand up to the bullies that are making her school life hell.

Nizar and Lana must both try to overcome their family prejudices in order for their friendship with Courtney to survive. Will they succeed? Will they be able to set aside their differences? Can they bridge the cultural divide?

"Girl of the Book" is a compelling, contemporary story that will get older children thinking. More than that, it is a story of friendship and forgiveness that will tug at your heart.

My Review:

This middle-grade book does not have a lot of excitement, dragons, or fantastical creatures. It does, however, share the story of a girl, much like the kids who would be reading this book, who moves with her family to a completely foreign country and culture.

Even being older than the girl in the story, I enjoyed reading about what she had to go through-- the culture shock she experienced. From living in a country where she could wear shorts and bikinis and being thrust into a land where she couldn't leave the house unless she was completely covered to attending an all-girls school she had a lot to get used to.

And, just like other kids I know, she didn't always handle it well.

The book is easy to read and I enjoyed getting to know Courtney and the two friends she made: Lana and Nizar. They, also, had to contend with pressures from their families who were not excited about their kids being friends with a Christian.

This book is good for all ages and I look forward to reading more books by this author.

4 stars!

An Excerpt:

The class was quiet when she left. I noticed the girls were glancing at me and whenever their eyes met mine, they shifted their gaze.

One of them, a wide-eyed girl, finally spoke. ‘Where are you from?’

‘Are you American?’ another girl asked before I had time to answer.

‘No, I’m from South Africa,’ I replied, trying not to sound bothered by their curious looks.

‘No way!’ one of the girls to my right exclaimed. She had a brown abaya decorated with sequins on the front, and a matching scarf hung around her neck. Her skin was fair, just like mine. Her hair was a pale brown, and it hung in beautiful curls that seemed to spring whenever she moved her head. ‘You can’t be African. You’re white...’

‘You’re also white,’ I remarked.

I was referring to her alone because her skin was lighter than those of the other girls. But she probably misunderstood me because she said, ‘We’re not white. We’re brown.’ She pulled the sleeve of her abaya up her arm and stroked her skin, as if to emphasise her point. ‘Arabs are brown. Africans are black and you’re not. So where are you from?’

‘I’m from South Africa. There are white and black people in South Africa if you didn’t know,’ I said, a little angry.

‘Fine, fine. So are you Muslim?’ the girl in the brown abaya said.

‘No.’

They gasped as if I had said an abomination.

‘You’re not?’ One girl spoke for the first time. She had long straight hair, and her skin was a little darker than those of the other girls. ‘You don’t pray?’

‘What do you mean by I ‘don’t pray’?’ I asked. ‘I pray every day before meals and when I go to bed.’

‘No, not that kind of prayer,’ the wide-eyed girl said. ‘We mean salat.’

‘Salat? What’s that?’ I asked.

‘Prayer, stupido.’ The girl in the brown abaya rolled her eyes.

‘Now, look...’ I was about to say when Ms Lopez walked into the classroom. I glared at the girl in the brown abaya. Whatever her name was, I hoped we weren’t going to be in the same class.

About the Author:

Princila Murrell lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with her husband and two kids. She startedwriting when she was about 10 years old and made the leap to Indie author about two decades later because she could not wait to share her stories with the world. Besides being a nerdy dreamer, doodler, busy mum, and housewife, she is also an avid netizen and reader of children’s books. She loves to cook, shop and, most of all, play with her kids. Girl of the Book is Princila’s debut novel.

Author Links
Amazon author page: www.amazon.com/author/princilamurrell
My blog: http://www.princilamurrell.blogspot.com/
Twitter (@PMurell): https://twitter.com/PMurell
Goodreads (Princila Murrell): https://www.goodreads.com/Priz
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/116158746779810778224
Wattpad (PrincilaMurrell): http://www.wattpad.com/PrincilaMurrell
Facebook (Princila Murrell): http://www.facebook.com/prinzmurrell
Girl of the Book on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/girlofthebook
  Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/princila
Buy Link http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OT1HQF8

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Review Tour and Giveaway - Broken by Tanille Edwards

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Tanille will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Meet Milan, a young supermodel with a disability from New York’s Upper East Side, who falls deeply in love as she is coming of age. In this romantic drama, the emotional conflict of a girl’s inner soul is revealed as she deals with a first love, the pain of loss, and the pleasures of stardom, all while coping with a lifelong secret. In the world of Milan, the people are real, the situations are rolling, and the truth is often concealed. Broken is a racy circle of sisterhood, laced with a touch of earthiness, glamour, wealth, and fame.

My Review


Milan is deaf, but since the death of her mother --who was very supportive-- has decided that her deafness makes her too "different" so she changes schools and hides her disability.

This story is told from Milan's POV in first person.  She is a supermodel and attends a very exclusive high school--this is basically the story of her and her friends.  They live in a world of glamour and wealth--their PE is yoga along with a very high class locker room: "The gym locker room was complete with a sauna, showers, and massage therapy for 30 minutes once a week, and, of course, the full-length cherry wood lockers with our names engraved in platinum."

For all her stardom, Milan sees herself as very down-to-earth.  She sees her modeling as just a job and truly just wants friends who will like her for herself. The only problem with that is, since she met them living a lie, they don't really know her--and hence the dilemma.

There is a mystery that surrounds her first love--for some reason, he was banished from her life and Milan desperately wants to find out what happened.  This mystery is what propelled this reader to continue reading.  There were times I wanted to shake Milan--but I still cared enough about her as a character to want there to be a happy ending.

I'll have to wait though to find out, because this is only the first book in the series and, be warned, it ends on a cliffhanger.  3 stars.

Enjoy an Excerpt

“How do you guys know each other?” Cara asked.

“Why?” I asked.

“Oh,” Cara’s face quickly turned to a grimace. “So you’re leaving.” Cara turned her back to Courtney as if she were insignificant.

“Ummm, yeah. I guess.” Courtney looked disheartened. Her eyes shifted to the floor.

“No, why don’t you stay, Courtney? We can all fit.” I smiled.

“Locker run, sugarplum! I will be back, though,” Cara said.

“Whatever!” Frenchy said.

I ignored Cara as she left. I turned my attention back to the kids in the cafeteria and, like clockwork, they stared right back at me—or maybe Courtney. My guess? They wanted to know who the newest girl was to infiltrate the group. Part of me was hoping to save her from this. But she did come over and introduce herself. Maybe this was what she wanted. It was too early to tell. Frenchy looked like she was wondering the same thing.

Oddly enough, Sierra hadn’t said much yet. Sometimes she didn’t like new people. Everything was always about hierarchy. A little part of me loved the hierarchy. It was what made lunch interesting. Though I can’t remember when I stopped hating it and started loving it. One quick reflection of my face in the spotless window across from our table, where the sun shined from high in the sky, reminded me of why I had hated this all. That was all people saw in me, my reflection. Grossly petrified to admit it, for a moment I ventured deep inside my heart. My heart was still quietly aching. Inside, I felt fear. One of my professors once said that fear was detrimental to all that made us smile. I was a little afraid of being ridiculed and ... dethroned.

Even though I had not asked to be put on top of the A-list, losing it all would make me ... fragile.

Just crazy.

There was a voice inside that wondered if that was just what I needed so people could really see me. Could that be the reason I had signed up for enough AP classes to be a college freshman? I was trying so hard. There were some new things about school. While the uniforms were much the same, the faces looked different.

“Get a load of the Salem witch trials over here,” Sierra texted me.

Frenchy had dyed her hair jet black. And stopped all of her Fake Bake. It was a little dramatic. I caught an eyeful of her questioning Courtney, who seemed to be ready to go.

Meet the Author

Tanille is the co-author and creator of the children's green book series "Jordan & Justine's Weekend Adventures." She is also the author of the new media young adult novel with music "Cameo by Tanille." Th¬e Undercover Starlet Journal is a title Tanille created to inspire young women and has extended Undercover Starlet into brand extensions that appear throughout

her novels. Tanille has been writing since age 16. She earned an MBA at 21 and graduated magna cum laude.

Links:
http://www.Tanille.com
http://www.facebook.com/TanilleMusic http://www.twitter.com/MilanParkAve
http://www.soundcloud.com/TanilleMusic

NEW TANILLE ALBUM INCLUDED Readers get free music downloads of the new Pop R&B hits "All of Me" and "What's a Girl to Do" by Tanille, and more with purchase.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/broken-tanille-edwards/1119705766?ean=9780978730215
http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Tanille-3-Part-ebook/dp/B00KXPZMBO/

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Review Tour and Giveaway - Seams in Reality by Alex Siegel

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

SEAMS IN REALITY is the first book in the Seams in Reality Series.

MY REVIEW:

My goodness, what a great new series!  I picked this book up and did not put it down until I was finished... yes, it was THAT good.

The characters are easy to relate to.  The two main characters, Andrew and Charley are college students and discover they have more in common than a love for theater. They both have a special talent--Andrew didn't know about his though until something odd happens during a performance.

Charley has already been working with Tonya as an apprentice and introduces Andrew to her.  Slowly it's revealed that Andrew has been in their sights for a long time and there's a whole family history he never knew about.

The book is well-paced with some great lines--I love Tonya and her dry humor.  There was one line she had that literally made me LOL.  There are adventures, a touch of mystery, and even a touch of romance growing between Andrew and Charley. 

Beware that the book DOES end on a bit of a cliffhanger--- it is the first book of the series after all.  Good news is... Amazon has the second book ready for you!    I give this book a rating of 4 and look forward to the rest of the series.

As a freshman in a suburban college near Chicago, Andrew leads an ordinary life until he meets Tonya, a strange woman with an even stranger secret. She is a master sorcerer, and he becomes one of her apprentices. Tonya's other apprentice is a resourceful young woman named Charley, and they aren't the only sorcerers in the world. The United States government has an entire bureau responsible for controlling them and the special seams which enable magic. Andrew's new life takes a dangerous turn when he meets Blake, a sorcerer who knew his grandfather. Blake's thirst for power leaves a trail of casualties, and in the end, only Andrew can stop him.

"No, you finish first," Andrew said in a loud, clear voice. "Never leave a job 'til you're finished— remember that. Biff, up in Albany I saw a beautiful hammock. I think I'll buy it next trip, and we'll hang it right between those two elms. Wouldn't that be something? Just swingin' there under those branches. Boy, that would be..."

His amplified words boomed through the auditorium. Every seat was filled, and he was the reason, although he never bragged about it. Critics had lauded his acting skills in the strongest possible terms. Andrew remembered one article that had said, "Andrew Kenworthy has the imagination and command of a professional actor twice his age. He would be at home on a Broadway stage." He tried not to let the praise go to his head.

He had no idea where that talent had come from. Neither of his parents were actors or had expressed any interest in the subject. Death of a Salesman was Andrew's first serious production. Something about this particular stage had inspired him to stretch himself in ways he had never attempted before.

He was facing the fake trees on the set. They were just wooden cutouts painted green and brown, and close up, they looked cheap, but the audience didn't care. He was pretending there was a hammock hanging between the trees.

An unexpected movement caught Andrew's attention. Somebody was hiding in the shadows behind the trees, but the play didn't call for an actor to be back there now.

Andrew glanced towards the right wing. Some actors were waiting just offstage, ready to come in on cue. Stagehands in black clothes stood further back with varying levels of interest. Charley had a clipboard in her hand, and she stared at Andrew with a curious expression.

Another movement drew his attention back to the trees. A man in a rumpled gray business suit was standing just out of the light. He was carrying a battered old suitcase in each hand.

Exhaustion made his face sag, and Andrew guessed the man was in his forties. Andrew had never seen him before, but he still recognized him.

Willy Loman, Andrew thought.

He completely forgot an audience was watching. He wandered over and stared at the apparition. Willy just stood there with his sagging shoulders and bent back. He had a blank, mindless expression.

"Hello?" Andrew murmured.

Willy didn't respond.

Andrew glanced at Charley, and her eyes were wide with alarm.

"What are you doing?" she whispered. "Say your line!"

Andrew turned back, but Willy had silently vanished. There was nothing behind the fake trees.

What the hell is going on? Andrew thought.

He remembered the play. He turned to the audience, and even though the auditorium was dark, he could see over a thousand faces. They were watching him expectantly.

He realized he had forgotten his next line.

The actor playing Biff said, "Pop, I just washed the car. Do you see? How's that, Pop? Professional?"

Oh, right, Andrew thought. He looked at the other actor. "Terrific. Good work, Biff."

The performance continued, but Andrew would be the first to admit it was the worst of his short career. He kept glancing behind the trees and blowing his lines. Normally, he had the focus of a laser beam, but not tonight.

Finally, the show ended, and he didn't get his usual standing ovation. When the curtain dropped, the audience was still in their seats.

About the Author:

Alex Siegel grew up a math and computer geek. At the age of twenty-five, he received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cornell. He continues to make a good living as a software developer in Chicago. In his late twenties, he took up creative writing as a serious pastime with the intention of eventually making it his career. This goal has been elusive, but failure is not an option. In 2001, his wife gave birth to triplet boys. People often ask him how he still finds time to write. In 2009, he began the Gray Spear Society series, and he hopes it will be his key to literary fame.

Website: http://www.grayspearsociety.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraySpearSociety
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GraySpear
G+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/114008779380457126099/posts
Newsletter: http://ow.ly/CrMTe

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