Book Review: Revelations (Thera’s Eyes Series) by Leia Kiuski

Yes, I am on a paranormal romance, YA kick.  Again.  But I am so glad to be getting such different takes on the genre.  This one is no exception:

 

Here is the synopsis:

Elizabeth Monterey is a 17-year-old girl, who always had everything: lots of money, friends, the perfect boyfriend, and a promising future in the archery world. But an inexplicable accident changed her life forever, and now she needs to face the harsh reality of the death of her parents, a brother in a coma and the loss of her fortune. 

As if she hadn’t problems enough, demonic-looking creatures want the freedom to come and go to the human world as they please, and Elizabeth is the one chosen to prevent that from happening. But, she can’t do it alone. It will be necessary to find out who her allies are… and her enemies. 

So, the hunt begins. 

‘Revelations’, the first book in the ‘Thera’s Eyes series’, is an incredible adventure story, filled with magic and romance. A novel that follows the current trends and still manages to be different from anything you have ever read.

This is really different than the typical YA fare with wizards, zombies and vampires.  I truly admire authors that can create these worlds seemingly out of thin air.  I love learning about their creation, the laws of their world, the lore and history.  This story was no different.

I love that the main character, Beth, is flawed.  She’s shaken.  Her life has taken a turn for the worst and she is still standing.  But she is strong.  She overcomes her situations and makes the best of it, becoming a leader in a new world that she had no clue even existed.

I also like that despite the fact that she is now a warrior, she still has the same issues that most teenage girls do.  Especially with boys.  And one particular boy, Leon.  Some miscues and an overheard conversation leads her to think that he isn’t interested despite her overwhelming feeling for him.  This is pretty descriptive of her imagined situation:

If she could not have his love, at least she would have his friendship and she could still be a part of his life, even after he left, and it sure was better than having nothing at all.

I truly appreciate this aspect of the story.  It lends some realism…even though they are fighting “demons” she still is struggling with her feelings for a member of the opposite sex.

I absolutely love the friendship between the warriors.  Their loyalty to each other.  Their willingness to do what is needed to “save the world”.  Definitely a bonus in this story.

And it is very well written. The characters are well developed, the plot is well thought out, the writing is fantastic.

Overall a great read, very different than others of this genre, highly recommended for those who love YA paranormal romance.

 

Book Review: The Prophecy of Arcadia by M. H. Soars

A different spin on YA paranormal romance and I loved it.  Here is the synopsis:

Being a teenager is tough, especially when you have to pretend to be something you’re not, and you’re in love with someone you shouldn’t. 115 years ago, a small planet called Arcadia was invaded by a vicious alien race and nearly destroyed. Cut off from their resources, the Arcadians turned to Earth for help. A group of Arcadian explorers discovered a Prophecy that claimed their salvation lay in the hands of two children from Earth. To ensure their safety, the Arcadian Council sent their most gifted youngsters to Earth to act as protectors. Samantha is one of them.

To succeed in her mission she must learn to control her Arcadian powers and keep her true identity from her best friend, and the girl she swore to protect, Alexia. But Samantha will soon realize that nothing is as it seems. Someone is trying to prevent the Prophecy from taking place and the prophecy boy hasn’t been found yet. There is also a new drug circulating at school that is turning students into freakishly strong menaces.

To make matters worse, distractions keep getting in her way. Such as her love/hate relationship with her “cousin” Matthew. Or her confused feelings toward popular and mysterious Julian. She wants nothing more than to be free to live her life. But the survival of Arcadia depends on her and her friends. Free will is not an option.

I liked that this book wasn’t typical YA.  It involved aliens.  The first chapter kind of made my eyes cross with all the alien names, but the story was amazing after I got past that.

This is YA, but I would classify it as older YA, just because there is sex involved as well as drugs and alcohol.  I would say 16 and up.

Sam is the main character, but the points of view swivel from character to character.  The author does an amazing job of this, as it is very clear which character is the speaker.  This can be very difficult, and the author pulls it off nicely.

Sam and her “cousins” are sworn to protect Alexia.  They have super powers that help them do this and they are trained to be bodyguards.  But their powers don’t really manifest until they are teenagers, and this creates some problems, especially for Sam.

Add in the fact that they are several teenagers around the same age living in the same house who aren’t related and you have some romantic issues.  Considering that they are pretending to be “cousins”, this presents some problems.

What I do like about this book is how it clearly conveys the angst of this time in life.  Despite who is the character speaking, the author makes this time in life abundantly clear:

Betrayal was one of the worst feelings a human being could possibly experience.  It gnawed at your insides, it twisted your heart until you thought it would be better if someone just ripped it out — then you wouldn’t feel the pain of it bleeding inside of you.

This passage could have been written by me at age 17, but maybe not so eloquently.

I do like the aspect that the guardians aren’t 100% automatons.  They know what the prophecy says, but they use their own brains to figure out that something isn’t right.

I was completely sucked into the world of Arcadia.  It is completely different in that most of these books feature vampires, wizards, etc.  So this was completely new to me.  And it is very well written, very concise, and the prophecy, sci-fi rules, powers, etc are clearly spelled out.  You don’t find characters suddenly doing something that they couldn’t before, or the prophecy doesn’t meld to fit the situation of the characters.  That is really important to me with reading these types of books.

Highly recommended for fans of paranormal romance and YA.  I love the sci-fi angle to it.  I am eagerly awaiting the next book.

 

Book Review: Starship Grifters by Rob Kroese

 

Oh do I love me some Rob Kroese.  Whether he’s writing about renegade angels, physics or space, I absolutely adore his work.

If you have followed this blog, you have definitely seen his work mentioned on here.

His latest is a space adventure and it is just as fabulous as I anticipated.  Here is the synopsis:

A space-faring ne’er-do-well with more bravado than brains, Rex Nihilo plies the known universe in a tireless quest for his own personal gain. But when he fleeces a wealthy weapons dealer in a high-stakes poker game, he ends up winning a worthless planet…and owing an outstanding debt more vast than space itself!

The only way for Rex to escape a lifetime of torture on the prison world Gulagatraz is to score a big payday by pulling off his biggest scam. But getting mixed up in the struggle between the tyrannical Malarchian Empire and the plucky rebels of the Revolting Front—and trying to double-cross them both—may be his biggest mistake. Luckily for Rex, his frustrated but faithful robot sidekick has the cyber-smarts to deal with buxom bounty hunters, pudgy princesses, overbearing overlords, and interstellar evangelists…while still keeping Rex’s martini glass filled.

I love Rex.  I kind of wanted to hate him, but he’s just so…interesting.  Here is an apt description from his side-kick Sasha:

It’s more likely that he’s somehow developed a delicately counterbalanced syndrome of mental illnesses that have somehow conspired to keep him alive up until now.  

That can probably describe most of my family.  Anyway, Rex is a walking disaster.  And he gets himself into tangle after tangle.  The way that his mind works, always trying to see the next con, always trying to save himself, he is such a well-developed character.

I also appreciate how Mr. Kroese made a robot come alive.  Despite some of her programmed issues, like being unable to think independently, she is extremely well-developed and real.  She follows Rex throughout the galaxy, through hair-brained scheme after scheme and is most often his savior.  The plot twist at the end of the book cements this notion.

Ahh…the plot twist.  Very clever.  I didn’t see that one coming, and I read CONSTANTLY.  It was truly refreshing.  It wasn’t something that I ever expected and it was glorious.

In most of these types of books, I love reading about the things that the writers come up with.  It’s sci-fi, so it can be anything.  But with Mr. Kroese, he makes it laughable, hilarious even, as Rex explains:

DNA scrambling is the worst.  Last time I had an ear growing between my shoulder blades.  People acted like they didn’t notice it, but I could hear them talking behind my back.

And I have to mention the obvious references to the epic space tale for the ages.  That shall not be named for fear of litigation.  I have read Mr. Kroese’s “memoir” of sorts, The Force is Middling in this One, and it is pretty obvious that he has an obsession with a galaxy far, far away.  And of course it bleeds into this work:

“We’re just checking out a disturbance!” yelled Fingers.  “A disturbance?”  the voice called back.  “What kind of disturbance?” “With the floors!” hollered Fingers.  “Did you say there’s been some kind of disturbance in the floors?”

Sometimes the references made me roll my eyes, but they were hilarious.  And I’m sure that there are several references I missed.

Overall, a great read, very funny, very witty, I loved it.  Highly recommended as with all of Mr. Kroese’s work.

Book Review: Weeks in Naviras by Chris Wimpress

 

Ohhh…one of my favorite kinds of books.  I would call it a mashup.  A little bit of romance, a little bit of sci-fi, throw in some politics and political commentary, add elements of a thriller.  Excellent.  Here is the synopsis:

It’s late afternoon in the tiny Portuguese fishing village of Naviras, where Eleanor Weeks is sipping wine and watching the ocean. Even though she’s been there dozens of times, how she arrived that particular afternoon is a mystery to her. Until she remembers she’s the wife of the British prime minister, and that she’s just been killed in a terrorist attack.

As Ellie explores her afterlife she finds other people she knew, all of whom died before she did. She recalls her troubled marriage during her husband’s rise to the very top of British politics. She remembers the tragedy and secrets which dominated the last ten years of her life, before recounting her role in a conspiracy which threatens to destabilise not just Britain but the wider world. 

Both a political thriller and love story, Weeks in Naviras delves into the heart of a woman who sees first-hand the rise and fall of governments troubled by turmoil and crisis.

Beautifully written.  I really want to go to Naviras.  Like right now.  The way it is written, you can see the little village.  You can feel Ellie’s attachment to it.  You understand why it is where she would go.

The “flashbacks” aren’t puzzling at all.  When not written effectively, it can detract from the overall reading experience.  Not so with this book.  It only makes you want to keep reading on to find out what happens.  The author only feeds you enough information to spur you on.  It is maddening but at the same time satisfying when you finally DO get the answers.

Ellie is an intriguing character.  The ten year span that you get to know her is appropriate.  You get to see her grow as a mother, as a person.  The amount of courage it takes to do what she does on the last few pages is phenomenal.  She grows from someone afraid to confront her husband and his power to one who essentially takes on some unknown quantity to save the world.

I appreciate the honest depiction of depression.  The noonday demon.  The malaise.  And the portrayal of it in someone in Ellie’s position is appreciated as well.

I also liked the political commentary as well.  I can very well see the author’s political stance on recent events, but it isn’t overwhelming.  It isn’t a political book, it is more futuristic (I think?).  Not enough is specified to pinpoint exact events or political figures.  But the criticism rings loud and clear.

I also love the creativity employed with the mode of  terror device used.  I don’t want to give anything away, but put it this way, it will knock your socks off.  The twists are so unexpected, so genius.

Excellent, excellent book.  Highly recommended.  Definitely different, definitely eclectic.

Book Review: Rebels Divided

Title: Rebels Divided
Author: Lance Erlick
Publisher: Finlee Augare Books
Release Date: June 2013
Length: 294 pages
Series?: Rebel #2
Genre: YA/Science Fiction/Dystopian
Format: e-book
Source: author

Find the book: Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis

Rebels Divided was written as a standalone dystopian action story. It is also part of the Rebel series, three years later. [Read my review of Rebels #1, The Rebel Within, here.]

The first time he sees her, they meet as enemies and she doesn’t kill him. That’s worth something. Geo (19) is a rugged frontiersman who hungers to see more of the world than the impoverished Outland glen where he and his pa hide from local Rangers. To prove himself, Geo fights Union Mechanized Warriors and Outland Rangers to protect friends, neighbors, and refugees fleeing the Federal Union. Annabelle (19) is a tough yet fragile tomboy who lost her parents at age three to the Mech Warriors. Then she’s forced to become a Mech.

After the Second American Civil War, the nation divides into two ‘utopias’. The Federal Union enforces Harmony and an all-female society with the help of EggFusion Fertilization and Female Mechanized Warriors based near Knoxville. The Appalachian Outland promotes rugged individualism, but Thane Edwards holds a monopoly of power with his Rangers, loosely modeled on the legendary Texas Rangers. The Union’s Tenn-tucky governor and the Outland warlord conclude a secret deal, pledging Annabelle to the warlord to provide him heirs, and putting a bounty on Geo and his pa.

When Annabelle refuses the arranged marriage, Thane Edwards kidnaps her and her beloved sister. She escapes, but can’t find her sister without help. That’s when she tracks down Geo, a sworn enemy she feels connected to. While trying to survive, and pursued by their own and opposing military forces, Geo and Annabelle wrestle with attraction and mutual distrust as enemies. Yet, only together can they confront Edwards to rescue her kidnapped sister and gain justice for the murder of Geo’s pa. Time is running out.

Review

Annabelle has grown up in a world where females have weeded out the men and boys from their society and their lives. Her adopted mother, a Tenn-tucky state senator, still remembers the husband and son she sent into the Outlands to protect. Annabelle has grown up believing her brother George is a monstrosity of a boy.

This novel picks up three years after the ending of The Rebel Within (read my review here). Annabelle is still paired with Dara in the Mechanized Female Warriors, and still is trying to evade and brush off the amazon’s advances. Her younger sister Janine has now joined their ranks, and they are sent on a mission into no man’s land, the strange common ground between the female Civ society and the male retreat of the Outlands.

Governor Battani is still pressing forward with her own political agenda, the mechs are amping up their border patrol and missions, and Senator Scott is still opposing Battani on many issues…until Battani gives Mama Scott an ultimatum she can’t refuse.

Annabelle and Janine are both captured in the Outland and held hostage, but Thane Edwards has underestimated Annabelle’s resourcefulness. She must impost her much-hated mech presence on the very thin hospitality of those trying to sustain a life during the hard times on the frontiers of the Outlands. She’s not leaving without her sister, even if it means taking a stand against the much feared and well-trained former mech Thane Edwards.

The novel’s chapters alternate between Annabelle’s world and a young Outland man’s world, until they eventually find each other in the Outland.

Annabelle and Geo are both betrayed by their people, fighting against both of their worlds to do the right thing, and forging something new of their quickly deteriorating civilizations before civil war can strike again and take its toll.

This is not a novel to be missed! While the first was hard for me to get through at times, this novel pretty much lays it all out on the table. The past of Annabelle is fully explained, the truth of George’s banishment is shown clearly, and shows the strength and willpower of young individuals, which is something I find quite lacking in today’s time.

Annabelle continues to grow as an individual, even deceiving Geo along the way for his help. She shows a softer side in this novel, as does her mech commander, Sam, which is totally out of place based on the hard-nosed character she was portrayed as in the first book. Geo is a character that grows throughout the novel in so many ways. He is a young man trying to be a man but is oppressed by the societal structures of the Outland and the cause his father has taken up to protect others. I loved Geo’s character; he has a heart to match Annabelle, even if he was unfocused at times.

I am intrigued to see how Annabelle and Geo will build a new Appalachia, in hand with their mother and Sam, and how their relationship will progress. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a third book!

About the Author

Raised by a roaming aerospace engineer, Lance Erlick grew up in various parts of the United States and Europe, as well as traveling through Asia. He took to stories as his anchor, including the works of Asimov, Bradbury and Heinlein, and has been writing since age eleven. Growing up, he was inspired by his father’s engineering work on cutting-edge aerospace projects to look to the future.

Lance received his BS in political science and his Masters in business from Indiana University, before studying creative writing at Ball State, the University of Iowa, Northwestern University, and the University of Wisconsin.

Numerous detours along the way included solving business problems for companies ranging from automotive, to electronics, kitchen cabinets and boats. This involved significant professional writing, supplemented after hours by writing science fiction. Now a refugee from the business world, he is focused on writing.

Lance lives with his wife in the Chicago area, where he’s working on his next novel. He writes speculative fiction, science fiction, dystopian and young adult, and likes to explore the future implications of social and technological trends.

Find the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Book Review: The Rebel Within

This is Charlie’s take on a series Amanda reviewed earlier.  You can read her post here.

Title: The Rebel Within

Author: Lance Erlick
Publisher: Finlee Augare Books
Release Date: March 2013
Length: 270 pages
Series?: Rebel #1
Genre: YA/Science Fiction/Dystopian
Format: e-book
Source: author

Find the book: Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis

Forced to grow up quickly, Annabelle (16) faces adult dilemmas and a fight for her life. Orphaned at age three when the elite military corps took parents, she’s a tomboy who rebels against a conformist society. The state pushes her to become a cop intern to catch escaped boys. Then she’s forced to choose between joining the elite military unit that took her parents or being torn from her beloved sister and adoptive mom.

The Rebel Within turns our male dominated world upside down. After the Second American Civil War, the Federal Union pursues a utopian society without men by rounding up the remaining males, and enforcing Harmony. Central to their plan is EggFusion Fertilization and Female Mechanized Warriors based near Knoxville.

In this world, Annabelle faces a cop intern boss who hates her, a military commander who demands too much, and an amazon bully who won’t leave her alone. She meets a handsome boy who escapes prison. As she tries to survive rigorous military training and hunt for her imprisoned birth mother, Annabelle must choose between capturing the boy and helping him escape, while she wrestles with the consequences of her actions.

Review

I don’t like people bringing up family connections, as though the sins of the mothers fall upon the daughters.

Annabelle is a strong young woman, not at all deceived by the utopia that political officials paint. She works as a cop intern, and sees the daily grind of what the reality of her all-female society is really like. Of course, it doesn’t help that her mother holds an opposing view to that of governing officials and is a state senator.

Mom says women stopped having boys because of high rates of autism, violence and social disruption, and they didn’t read. That made it hard for them to adjust to our knowledge-based economy. After the war, most of the males fled. Then the city zoned our neighborhood and school to exclude them. Harmony Director Surroc and Captain Voss say liberated women don’t need men. Governor Battani says the only way to make females safe is to eliminate the source, men. 

And that’s just what they do. Boys, even as a young child, are strictly forbidden from being outside of their “zone,” with rezoning happening constantly, and consequently catching usurpers of the law. The women of Annabelle’s society fear boys and men, and the lucky boys are regulated to all-boys boarding schools that are highly regulated by the government and surveillance industries.

Who knows what men are really like? Most fled to the Outlands before I was born. 

Annabelle’s society, the Federal Union,  was created after “21st century right-wing extremists tried to turn back the clock.” Obviously, they failed and thus seceded, causing the Second American Civil War. The result was the split between the Federal Union and the Outlands (Appalachia and TexSoCal), where men take off to hide and escape persecution.

During this process, Sam Hernandez came to have a powerful position by mechanizing female warriors – literally making them almost indestructible and amped up on illegal performance-enhancing drugs of a new generation. Given how much Annabelle’s society has regressed, it is surprising, as well as some of the technology that is mentioned throughout the book. This new all-women society has even come up with a solution to reproduction without using males: EggFusion Fertilization, where one woman’s egg fertilizes another. Sam has continued this program, Mechanized Female Warriors, in the state of Tenn-tucky. Just as in Suzanne Collin’s Hunger Games, mech tournaments (which include a variety of mech vs. man and mech vs. mech fights that also include fights to the death) are televised every six months.

It’s horrible to have to wear a choker like a dog, which is how cops I work with track males. 

This all-female society is surprising in the fact that women are allowed to take multiple wives. Annabelle has two other mothers, each with three children. She has two younger sisters that are her mother’s children – but she’s adopted. Her younger sister Janine, who seems heavily dependent on Annabelle, wouldn’t understand that she’s adopted. Truly, Annabelle and Janine’s mother fights for a cause – the very reason which landed Annabelle with her, and the reason behind her losing her own husband and son. Annabelle hasn’t forgotten what the Federal Union has done to her family, and neither has her mother. They are bent on gaining more information, helping boys escape, and seeking justice.

On top of everything else, the government regulates everything, right down to the “harmony” of one’s clothing, one’s ambiance in a place of business, and the food choices and food content of restaurants. No sugar, no caffeine, no MSGs – in other words, the bland cardboard that is now being pushed in public schools today. Annabelle hopes of opening a restaurant to avoid the unpleasantness of her society, and it’s a lot of work. Governor Battani makes sure that Annabelle’s dreams of her future are shut down. The book also mentions that some things that are a normal part of our lives today are banned in this future society, like the King James Bible and The Diary of Anne Frank. I would be interested to know what else is restricted in their society.

Annabelle really gets in a scrape when she stands up for her sister at a school basketball game, and is embroiled in a fight with the other team. She has two choices: go the the Resocialization Facility in Nashville…or join the Mechanized Female Warriors. Annabelle is in a hard spot: be put far away where she won’t have access to information she needs to seek justice or her family, or join the group responsible for her family’s downfall?

I stare at the retreating boy, a scared mouse caught in a trap. You don’t treat humans like this. 

Annabelle has to make some very difficult choices, and put aside her own opinions of her world in order to further herself, gain trust of others, and hopefully get what she’s wanted all along. Despite joining an organization that discriminates against men and the weak and going through weeks of tear-down and build-up exercises, Annabelle retains all of her heart, spirit and opposition of her society. She supports her sister warriors, roots for them, and ultimately shows the compassion her society is sorely lacking.

About the Author

Raised by a roaming aerospace engineer, Lance Erlick grew up in various parts of the United States and Europe, as well as traveling through Asia. He took to stories as his anchor, including the works of Asimov, Bradbury and Heinlein, and has been writing since age eleven. Growing up, he was inspired by his father’s engineering work on cutting-edge aerospace projects to look to the future.

Lance received his BS in political science and his Masters in business from Indiana University, before studying creative writing at Ball State, the University of Iowa, Northwestern University, and the University of Wisconsin.

Numerous detours along the way included solving business problems for companies ranging from automotive, to electronics, kitchen cabinets and boats. This involved significant professional writing, supplemented after hours by writing science fiction. Now a refugee from the business world, he is focused on writing.

Lance lives with his wife in the Chicago area, where he’s working on his next novel. He writes speculative fiction, science fiction, dystopian and young adult, and likes to explore the future implications of social and technological trends.

Find the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Book Review: Hearts in Exile

Title: Hearts in Exile
Author: Mysti Parker
Release Date: June 2013
Length: 274 pages
Series?: Tallenmere #3
Genre: Romance, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Format: e-book
Source: author

Find the book: Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis

In Tallenmere, fate has a way of catching up with you…

Somewhere, hidden in the waters of the Southern Sea, lies an island unlike any other. Within the amber glow of its pyrogem-laden cliffs, legend says the very heart of the dragon god Drae keeps the island, and its occupants, alive.

Loralee Munroviel, daughter of Leogard’s High Priestess Arianne, had no idea what she would face when she arrived by boat ten years ago and was left alone in exile. All she knew about Draekoria’s inhabitants was written in one tattered notebook. Now, her life revolves around keeping Drae’s descendants happy. Never in her life did she imagine being a Dragon Keeper.

Captain Igrorio Everlyn, known as Sir Robert to his unit of Holy Paladins, has faced his share of hell, battling the evils of Emperor Sarvonn’s tyranny and the dark god Tyr’s abominations. But none of that compares to the ten years of hell he’s been without Loralee, presumed dead.

One freak storm changes everything. Now the two of them must fight to reestablish the delicate balance of the island before the dragons take things into their own hands. Through it all, they discover the secrets that kept them, and their hearts, exiled for a decade.

Review

This is the third book in the Tallenmere series, but the first two are not pre-requisites. The second and third books are like spin-offs, so you won’t miss out on anything you really need to know.  The novel starts in the present, and then goes back in time to the reason why Igrorio comes to the Temple. The novel follows this time until present time.

How do you thank someone who saves your life when you’re not sure if you want to live?

I adore this book. It is a wonderful story, and well written. I fell in love with Loralee and Igrorio. They are strong, creative, loving and resilient characters. The Plague has struck the land. Igrorio has lived through his own hell until meeting Loralee at the Temple. Her mother gives up on him, but Loralee refuses to follow suit. She has hope, and she nurses him back to health and is in charge of his recovery. They are young, and form a strong bond with one another. They go on a hunt for the long-extinct dragons to help pass the days.

I wasn’t sure how two young men who excelled in beating the shit out of each other showed potential. 

But Loralee is living with a very short fuse, that starts off the moment Igrorio arrives at the Temple. There is an unsettling dispute between her parents, her mother holds some imaginative power over the king to bend him to her will, and her sister is a hateful, deceitful, cruel person. This hate and deceit set in motion events that cannot be undone.

***

I found a kindred spirit in Loralee; I think she is a lot like me. She knows something will work, but is refused to be given the chance to prove it, so she does it in secrecy to have research to support her claims. She is removed from Igrorio’s day to day interactions, so she devises a way to still have a time with him. She is put on trial for saving Igrorio with her newly found Spark from Mother Inessa and must prove herself to her hard High Priestess mother. She is forced to follow in the footsteps of her mother, and punished for falling in love by betrothing her to Igrorio’s best friend. She has a sister that would just as soon stab her in the chest to get what she wants…and essentially, that happens in the novel. Ivy and Arianne Munroviel tell all that Loralee is dead – but they and King Leopold know differently.

Some mistakes go on to haunt us for the rest of our lives. 

Loralee’s ten years on the island of Drae tending to the dragons has changed her, in so many ways. She comes to the island with one more secret, and it is lost to the island. When Igrorio washes up, I am surprised at the changes in her – and the forgiveness she has granted to her sister and her mother for all she’s endured and lost. It would be a hard thing to do, but I had to remind myself that ten years have passed, and she is living to fulfill the purpose of the Keeper of the dragons. Indeed, I had my own issues with my mother, and anger and hatred that lasted a decade, and like Loralee, I got tired of being angry and hurting myself more. Being away at college helped ease our relationship, and Loralee explains this time and distance aspect to Igrorio.

What also engrossed me about this book was that it delves into the society and culture of the world in which Parker has created. There are delicate matters that could upset the balance of the kingdom, and one of those things is the betrothal of the next High Priestess. For his sake, Igrorio has done his best to be the model citizen to be chosen for Loralee. He has impressed her father to give his name for recommendation, but ultimately it is King Leopold’s and her mother’s choice. The novel also closely examines Loralee’s relationship with both of her sisters, and each of her parents, as well as Igrorio. These moments reveal so much about each character.

The novel also touches on Igrorio’s relationship with Sir Francis. In the second book, the pair are sent to work an assignment together and there is small insight into their relationship, in that it is clear that they know the intricacies of the other. Ironically, it does not start out so, and in the third book it goes through their very rough and troubled meeting.

I highly recommend this book.

No, silly, you can’t saddle a dragon.

About the Author

Mysti Parker (pseudonym) is a full time wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger’s Tale was published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and the second in the fantasy romance series, Serenya’s Song, was published in April 2012. The highly anticipated third book, Hearts in Exile, has already received some great reviews. The Tallenmere series has been likened to Terry Goodkind’s ‘Sword of Truth’ series, but is probably closer to a spicy cross between Tolkien and Mercedes Lackey.

Mysti’s other writings have appeared in the anthologies Hearts of Tomorrow, Christmas Lites, and Christmas Lites II. Her flash fiction has appeared on the online magazine EveryDayFiction. She has also served as a class mentor in Writers Village University’s six week free course, F2K.

Mysti reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specfic publication, and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder’s Top Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.

Find the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Book Review: Serenya’s Song

Title: Serenya’s Song
Author: Mysti Parker
Release Date: April 2012
Length: 288 pages
Series?: Tallenmere #2
Genre: Romance, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Format: e-book
Source: author

Find the book: Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis

No one ever said love was easy…

Serenya Crowe may be a half-elf commoner, but she’s no ordinary woman. With the ability to interpret dreams, and a birth defect that forces her to wear gloves, she’s endured gossip and the cruelty of her husband, Sebastian, The Earl of Summerwind. All she’s ever wanted is to live a quiet life and raise a family. When she meets the new stranger in town, her world and her heart, are turned upside down.

Wood-elf Jayden Ravenwing is an ex-secret agent who wants nothing more than to forget matters of the heart. He left the bustle of Leogard and his failed marriage to make a fresh start in Summerwind. He never planned to fall in love again, especially with the enchanting Serenya Crowe.

When a strange portal opens on the Crowe property, Jayden is thrown into an investigation, knowing that if he fails, Serenya and everyone in the town may die.

Together, he and Serenya must overcome an ancient evil, and their own inner demons, to save Summerwind and find the love they’ve always dreamed of.

Review

I had no idea where this book was coming from prior to finishing the first book, A Ranger’s Tale, because there was no one in the first book named Serenya…until reading the epilogue. The epilogue of A Ranger’s Tale is set five years later, and Serenya’s Song takes place during that passage of time, so the epilogue kind of gives away a big detail from Serenya’s Song.

Serenya’s Song is kind of like a spin-off of A Ranger’s Tale: several characters return, and it follows a character’s life from A Ranger’s Tale.

In A Ranger’s Tale, Caliphany’s second husband, leader of the secret government agency L.I.O., has the king annul their marriage. Although his L.I.O. coworker Lilly does care for him, in the second book she has moved on and is engaged herself, so some amount of time has passed.

Jayden Ravenwing is broken and done with the world. He wants to reside in peace and fulfill the musician’s dreams within him. Little does he know the woman he knocks down with his horse one dark knight is the muse for his soul, his fine arts counterpart. and he will go to the ends of the earth for her.

But Parker has definitely added a twist and some serious mystery in the mix. Serenya’s father rescued her after birth, fleeing an unknown pursuer. She is now a grown woman and experiencing some very odd and unusual things. Her titled husband is controlling and manipulative, and insanely jealous. He knows something about what is happening to her, and is exploiting it while keeping Serenya controlled.

Jayden has found a very dangerous element that could cause massive destruction to Summerwind, and is keeping an eye on things in the area. Then some very strange things start occurring. He calls in for reinforcements and sets up an investigation, and things get even stranger.

I felt that the focus in this novel was more on Serenya than Jayden. She is an extremely compassionate, loving character. She is beautiful, a musician and artist, and can interpret dreams, but she as born with a distinct deformity: claws. I was disappointed throughout the novel at each point in which Serenya would not stand up to her husband, and took and responded to his forced advances. She lives as a titled woman in a beautiful house and pretends to have the perfect marriage, but that is all far from the truth. She is powerless, and eventually finds power (although, I don’t think she realized she was again being used and in essence, powerless), but makes a better choice. Her decision strikes me oddly given all of her giving in, but it is a decision that saves Summerwind and those she loves.

About the Author

Mysti Parker (pseudonym) is a full time wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger’s Tale was published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and the second in the fantasy romance series, Serenya’s Song, was published in April 2012. The highly anticipated third book, Hearts in Exile, has already received some great reviews. The Tallenmere series has been likened to Terry Goodkind’s ‘Sword of Truth’ series, but is probably closer to a spicy cross between Tolkien and Mercedes Lackey.

Mysti’s other writings have appeared in the anthologies Hearts of Tomorrow, Christmas Lites, and Christmas Lites II. Her flash fiction has appeared on the online magazine EveryDayFiction. She has also served as a class mentor in Writers Village University’s six week free course, F2K.

Mysti reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specfic publication, and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder’s Top Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.

Find the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

A Ranger’s Tale

Title: A Ranger’s Tale
Author: Mysti Parker
Release Date: April 2010
Length: 257 pages
Series?: Tallenmere #1
Genre: Romance, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Format: e-book
Source: author

Find the book: Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis

In the fantasy world of Tallenmere, an elven noblewoman longed to leave her gilded cage. A half-breed former pirate wanted nothing more than to escape his guilty past. Easier said than done… 

Caliphany Aranea, nearly a century old, leads an enviable life as high elf King Leopold’s niece and daughter of Sirius, Leogard’s most famous wizard. Yet, being forced to follow in her father’s footsteps and being betrothed to a man she doesn’t even like makes her want a taste of life outside the city walls. 

As a young boy, half-elf Galadin Trudeaux witnessed his parents’ death at the hands of pirates. After being raised by those same murderers and forced to do their bidding, he escaped and now lives an honest life as a sea merchant and ranger. 

When two brutes at Leogard Harbor attempt to kidnap Caliphany while she dreams of faraway lands, Galadin comes to her rescue. Impressed by his skills, she asks him to train her as a ranger. Though he is hesitant at first to train a woman of her class, Caliphany’s hefty sack of gold finally persuades him. Unfortunately, her father is not amused, and the two must escape before Caliphany faces a forced marriage and Galadin faces a noose. 

From that moment on, to the finale, where Caliphany must decide where her heart truly lies, she and Galadin embark on an adventure of a lifetime. Only if they can survive the trials ahead, will they find a love that stands the test of time. 

Review

This book is more than meets the eye. Do not be fooled by the cover! (You may find it with a slightly different cover, and a slightly different beginning.)

Caliphany has grown up her entire life living a privileged life, as the niece of the king. But right under his nose her father torments her with his cold cruelty, even locking her away at times. After the death of her older brother at a young age, she has been in line to take over as a Mage to teach wizardry – and betrothed to an annoying intellectual boy she grew up with.

Since following in her father’s footsteps is a requirement, a family legacy, doing anything else is out of the question. Caliphany is terrified to openly defy her father, but while he’s away she asks a very resourceful, skilled Ranger to teach her how to survive in the wild and use various weapons…and falls in love in the process. Only, fate would have it’s ugly way when everything seemed perfect.

Caliphany is forced to make many decisions about herself, her life and her future and must truly determine where her heart lies.

Once Caliphany’s life seemed on the up-and-up, I smelled the bigger issue from a mile away. I had an inkling of what the disaster was that was going to strike, and the closer I approached it when reading, the more painful it became for me to read. I will say this though: Parker did surprise me in the turn of events that take place once Caliphany returns home.

Once back at home, Caliphany’s relationship with her father undergoes some TLC. It’s surprising how certain life events can change someone. But, as fate would have it, things don’t remain that way for long, and a very unsuspecting character thinks to take it all.

I tremendously enjoyed reading this first installment of Parker’s Tallenmere series. I found Caliphany an interesting mix of a character: scared of her father, yet defiant in a “safe” environment (aka when he’s gone and she thinks he won’t find out). She shows an amazing amount of compassion and is given a lot of trials to struggle through. She is put in several compromising and tough decisions.

About the Author

Mysti Parker (pseudonym) is a full time wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger’s Tale was published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and the second in the fantasy romance series, Serenya’s Song, was published in April 2012. The highly anticipated third book, Hearts in Exile, has already received some great reviews. The Tallenmere series has been likened to Terry Goodkind’s ‘Sword of Truth’ series, but is probably closer to a spicy cross between Tolkien and Mercedes Lackey.

Mysti’s other writings have appeared in the anthologies Hearts of Tomorrow, Christmas Lites, and Christmas Lites II. Her flash fiction has appeared on the online magazine EveryDayFiction. She has also served as a class mentor in Writers Village University’s six week free course, F2K.

Mysti reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specfic publication, and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder’s Top Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.

Find the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Book Review: Master’s Journey and Master’s Return (The Mastery) by Simon Seth Reede

Ah yes. A bit different from the paranormal romance, but paranormal just the same. I do have an interest in meditation, and may have experienced a bit of out of body “travels” myself. I am immensely interested in lucid dreaming, past lives, etc, so this definitely tripped my trigger. Here is the synopsis for both books. And I hope there will be a third:

For the Master’s Journey:

Sid Solomon, Grand Master of the centuries-old organization of occult practitioners known as The Mastery, sets out on a journey to the far reaches of the astral plane to investigate signals from an unknown source that threaten to spark a devastating war with the Astral Powers. His journey derails in ways he cannot understand, leaving him terrified of astral travel. And although war has somehow been averted, Sid alone knows that his journey remains unfinished, that his time as Grand Master was a sham, and that one day, his destiny will catch up to him.

Dr. Bob Taylor, prominent psychiatrist and developer of a foolproof technique for treating multiple personality disorder, encounters a woman impervious to his procedure. His secretive attempt to salvage the case using an unconventional and unproven method backfires, and he begins to experience the same terrifying nightmares as his patient. Paralyzed by insomnia and teetering on the brink of insanity, he seeks out Sid Solomon’s help.

Tim Wake, a bright young research fellow on Taylor’s psychiatric unit, pursues a woman who insists he join her at a class in telepathic zenzing. But in the practice session, he’s paired up with Gwen, a temptress who seduces him telepathically and then, after becoming lovers, persuades him that the Mastery is responsible for the horrid dreams he’s been experiencing. Her true agenda remains hidden, and it could cost him his life—or worse.

All three are caught up in a web of inter-dimensional intrigue that will tie their fates together on the earth plane and the astral realms in ways they never could have imagined.

Master’s Journey is the first book of The Mastery, a trendsetting new series that trounces conventional genres of Sci-Fi and Fantasy in its fast-paced romp across the astral plane. Astral travel, demonic possession, brain-wave technology, dark tantric sex, power objects, the sculpting of thought-forms, and the after-death realms—all feature prominently in this unique and innovative metaphysical thriller.

And Master’s Return:

Master’s Return is the sequel to Master’s Journey and the second book of The Mastery, a trendsetting new series that trounces conventional genres of Sci-Fi and Fantasy in its fast-paced romp across the astral plane. Dream-shields, alternate realities, the origin of the gods, the nature of time, and the purpose of consciousness itself—all feature prominently in this unique and innovative metaphysical thriller.

Both are extremely well written.  It is hard for my brain to wrap around abstract ideas sometimes.  For me to envision other dimensions for which I have no frame of reference.  Like the author says in the beginning of Master’s Journey:

The human mind needed to impose its own familiar parameters onto the inherent formlessness of the astral.

Yep.  That’s me!! But this author makes it extremely vivid, his descriptions of the astral and astral travel, zenzing, and the like are absolutely amazing.  It is more than a physical description.  The reader can actually FEEL the words that are on the page.

The author uses the vehicle of the Mastery and their mission to seek out others with talents for astral travel as a way to more accurately explain this world.  They hold classes for the public, kind of like mindfulness classes or meditation classes to find recruits.  The teacher of the class explains zenzing in this way:

To understand zenzing you have to revise your beliefs about what it means to be human.  If you think of yourself as a physical body that moves through space and encounters things out there via the senses, then zenzing will never make sense to you.  Instead, try thinking of yourself as a field of elastic energy.  It surrounds your body, but can extend outward much farther than that.  Some call this the aura, or auric field.

Those types of explanations interspersed throughout both books, both from the perspective of someone just learning about this plane of existence, Bob and Tim, and those reviewing what they already know, Sid Solomon and Master Thomas, went very far, at least to this reader, to make the novels so real and tangible.  I think I honestly tried zenzing my husband a few times.

The story itself is a page turner.  Absolute thriller.  Excellent characters all around.  It was very difficult to get into at first, but once the story got rolling, it didn’t stop.  Two days to read both books.  Two days.

I also appreciated how the author wove two seemingly different threads of a story, Sid Solomon, Bob Taylor, Tim Wake, and finally made a cohesive tapestry.  It took awhile, but it all coalesced at the end.  It all made sense.  And it was fantastic.

At times, especially in book two, the entire “oceans of possibility” thing went a bit over my head, but I was able to at least grasp at the meaning to the story.

I also admire how the author was able to set a book 15 years in the future and make virtually no mention of future technology or society.  The focus was obviously on the story and the characters and not on the possibilities of the iPhone 15 or whatever incarnation Facebook would be in in 2029.  Excellent job!

I do want to mention that there is an element of hardcore sex to at least the first book and some in the second.  I do know as a nurse with some psych training that ritualistic sex is used in some cults, and the author does make use of this especially when discussing the brain wave work with Dr. Bob Taylor and his dissociative disorder patients.  It really didn’t trigger me, however, but I just wanted to make potential readers aware.

I love how the author used myths and gods from various religions and histories from around the world in this story.  His take on everything was fascinating.

Overall, a fascinating read.  Truly stoked my interest in this type of metaphysical teaching.  I always enjoy books that make me think.  This was definitely one of them.  I do hope there is another book in the works.