Sunday, June 30, 2013

REVIEW: THE IRON KING (The Iron Fey, #1) by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron King
Series: The Iron Fey, #1
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: February 1, 2010
Genres: YA, Fantasy
Reviewed by: Books4Tomorrow
Source: Purchased
My smiley rating: 5/5

SUMMARY

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.


REVIEW


I was utterly and completely blown away by this book. I had no expectations going into it and though it started off at a snail’s pace, it soon picked up momentum and once I got to the chapter where the terrifying changeling came into the picture, there was no turning back. There’s an unmistakeable dark edge to this story which I found both enticing and mesmeric.  

The Iron King is one of the rare books where I loved absolutely everything about it. I’ll confess that this is the first book I’ve read by Julie Kagawa, but sure as heck will not be the last. I was captivated from the very first page, but two chapters into the story I did feel that it was moving a little too slow for my taste, yet I was too curious about Meghan’s dad’s disappearance to abandon it. Only further on did I realize why it was necessary to get to know Meghan’s family and her life at school first, and find out more about her past. All that background info is vital to the story. The minute I understood that, it was smooth sailing all the way.

Where shall I start? OK, let’s start with Meghan. Ya’ll know by now I have a low tolerance for clichéd, bratty female protagonists, right? Well, Meghan ain’t one of “those”. And really, this is where I want to shake the author’s hand and maybe put up a statue in her honor, simply because she had so much faith in her protagonist, she knew she could push her to her limits to show us what Meghan is made of. There is nothing typical about Meghan. She doesn’t have it easy at school (no really, the kids put her through hell), she lives on a pig farm in the boondocks and gets ridiculed by the popular crowd at school, while at home she is practically ignored by her mother, and her stepfather treats her as though she doesn’t exist. But all that is nothing compared to what she has to endure in the Nevernever. Honestly, there were times I was convinced there is no way she was going to make it through to the end in one piece. And I have the utmost respect for an author who can put her protagonist through the wringer again and again and again. What made Meghan even more convincing was that she never pitied herself or complained about the horrors she had to endure, but quietly gave in to her emotions only when there was no-one around to hear her. Meghan is not a butt-kicking character. Still, she showed a strength beyond her years which I could only admire. The rest of the characters – Puck, Ash, Grim, and just about every single character in this novel – is well rounded out and plays an integral part in the development of the plot. It is saturated with memorable characters which you’ll either love to love, or love to hate. But either way, there’s not one bland character in this superb fantasy.

  
The cat didn’t blink. “Human,” he said, and if a cat could sound patronizing, this one nailed it, “think about the absurdity of that question. I am resting in my tree, minding my own business and wondering if I should hunt today, when you come flying in like a bean sidhe and scare off every bird for miles around. Then, you have the audacity to ask what I want.” He sniffed and gave me a very catlike stare of disdain. “I am aware that mortals are rude and barbaric, but still.”

I have to mention that my number one favorite character is unquestionably Grimalkin, the cat (or rather a Cait Sith). He’s intelligent, sneaky, witty, and proudly embraces every typical cat trait you can think of. My other favorite creature characters were the pack rats. They were incredibly adorable in their odd way; so much so it almost made me cry.

Kagawa’s imaginative and clever world-building in this story is nothing less than spectacular and way beyond impressive! Every single page is an endless feast for the imagination. The combination of fantasy and technology in Faeryland and the modern world, had me marvelling at the resourcefulness of this author’s mind. The breathtaking beauty of the Summer and Winter courts, in stark contrast to the wastelands of the Iron court, helped set the mood of the novel and steadily drew me deeper and deeper into the Nevernever. I also enjoyed the parts of the story that took place in the real world and I was awed at how smoothly the story transitioned between these two worlds. Everything felt so real.

“Oh, we’re playing nice now?” Puck remained seated, looking anything but compliant. “Shall we have tea first? Brew up a nice pot of kiss-my-ass?”

The dialogue is fluid, stimulating and suits each character perfectly. Expect stellar writing, heart-stopping scenes, and an exceptionally riveting plot should you choose to read this book. The sequence of events happens timely, and the action is intense and highly gratifying. To my relief the romance is kept to a minimum and only glides along in the background. I only hope it stays that way for the rest of the series. The ending wasn’t exactly what I wanted it to be, but it still came to a satisfying conclusion with a wide opening for book two on which to continue.  The Iron King is a book I refused to put down, even when my vision started blurring at the edges, but I simply couldn’t tear myself away from it. I highly recommend it to all who enjoys a fantasy novel filled with characters and creatures born only from the wildest of imaginations. It deserves countless stars for unadulterated fantasy perfection.


FANGIRLING

Here are the three actors who I think would be perfect for the roles of Meghan, Ash and Puck, should The Iron King ever be optioned for film.


Meghan – Elle Fanning
Ash – Adam Gregory
Puck – Cameron Monaghan

READ more REVIEWS

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa has 6409 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.

PURCHASE LINKS


ABOUT the AUTHOR

Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.
When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.
To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.
Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyper-active Papillon.

AUTHOR LINKS

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Saturday, June 29, 2013

BLOG BLITZ: EXCERPT & $25 GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY: WE ARE MADE OF STARDUST by Mimi Strong


Title: We are Made of Stardust
Series: Peaches Monroe, #1
Author: Mimi Strong
Publication Date: June 28, 2013
Genre: NA, Romance

SUMMARY

Peaches Monroe, age 22, is a plus-sized beauty who spends quiet days with books, in the small town of Beaverdale, Washington.

One Saturday afternoon, she's balancing precariously on a chair, in a bridesmaid dress, when a handsome dark-haired man comes running into the bookstore. He knocks Peaches over, she lands in his muscular arms. They lock gazes, and ...

She recognizes him.

As the sexy vampire heartthrob she watches on TV once a week.

Peaches and Dalton Deangelo are completely wrong for each other. He's only in town temporarily, working on an indie movie. She should stay away. He should stay away, too.

But they're drawn to each other. Dalton claims it's because they're made from the same stardust. He says a lot of dramatic things, but it's his carbohydrate-free perfect body and sexy touch that turns Peaches to Jell-O.

  

READ more REVIEWS

We are Made of Stardust by Mimi Strong has 36 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.

EXCERPT


The bookstore was my whole life, set up just how I liked it. Sometimes in the evening, after we were closed and the lights were dimmed, I found it difficult to leave the space. I'd stay behind and watch the traffic on the rainy street outside, as people walked back and forth, going to Java Jones or DeNirro’s, unaware of me, sitting in the dark.
Dalton pulled open the front door, and the sounds of the world came in. He'd probably get a phone call and make some excuse before we were half-way there, and I'd be going to the wedding alone. I'd had other men make big promises before, and it always started like this: the grand, spontaneous gesture. The excuses kicked in later.
My eyes were wide open.
Dalton turned to me, his beautiful green eyes bright with promise. “Let's have some fun.”
It was exactly what I needed to hear. “Fun,” I agreed, and I walked ahead of him out the door.
“What is it about bridesmaids?” he asked as soon as we were outside.
I laughed. “Maybe it's our association with the bride, all dressed in white and virtuous.”
He held out his arm for me to hold his elbow, like a gentleman. “You, Peaches Monroe, are looking quite virtuous yourself. That pretty dress with all the ruffles. You're so clean and nice, you give me bad thoughts.”
I laughed, harder this time. “Wow. You don't waste any time. You just say whatever you want, don't you?”
He grinned. “I suspect I've met my match in you.”
“Are you always like this? I feel like I've known you for years, but I've been watching you on TV. You don't know me, though, but you seem pretty comfortable.”
“My car's this way,” he said, pulling me to the right. “And who's to say I don't already know you? Maybe we share a common past.”
“I think I'd remember that.”
He stopped walking and turned to look at me. Really look at me. With those gorgeous green eyes, set in that achingly handsome face.
I started to worry he was going to kiss me. Or not kiss me. Either way, I was in big trouble.
He looked down my body, along my fluffy bridesmaid gown, like he was formulating a plan to get it off of me.
Forget the wedding, I thought. Unzip me, bend me over, and make me call you weird names until the sun comes up.
He smiled, as if he was his vampire character, and could read my mind.

PURCHASE LINKS


ABOUT the AUTHOR

I've always had a lot of sides. Sometimes I'm vulnerable, and sometimes I go after what I want without a single doubt.

My favorite person is my husband. If I can crack him up and see his eyes crinkle at the corners, my day is made. In fact, I love making everyone around me laugh.

I've always enjoyed empowering stories about kick-butt women who don't hold back and the awesome men who are smart enough to love them. Now that I'm writing these stories, I couldn't be happier. I hope you enjoy them too!

Note: I also have a family-friendly pen name, (DALYA MOON), where you'll find MG and YA books, from fantasy to contemporary romance.

AUTHOR LINKS

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GIVEAWAY

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Thursday, June 27, 2013

REVIEW: JAZ & MIGUEL by R.D. Raven

Title: Jaz & Miguel
Author: R.D. Raven
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: May 3, 2013
Genres: Romance, Suspense
Reviewed by: Ellen Fritz
Source: Received from author for review
Ellen’s smiley rating: 5/5

SUMMARY

A girl from Seattle.
A boy from South Africa.
A painful past.
An uncertain future.

Seattle born-and-bred Jaz Curtis knows only one thing in her life: that she doesn't know where it's going. Maybe that's why, when she sees an article about a student exchange program in South Africa, it sounds like a great idea.

Portuguese South African, Miguel Pinto, and Xhosa-Speaking, Sandile Mabuyo, have been best friends since they were ten, but the harsh realities of the country they live in (and what can happen to loved ones in it at any moment) transforms their friendship into a veritable brotherhood in blood when they are only seventeen.

Two years later, Sandile is dating Afrikaner girl, Elize van Zyl, which, in the "New South Africa," should be fine--if not for the (allegedly) racially motivated killings that occurred in Elize's neighborhood only a few weeks before they met. 

Miguel, on the other hand, is not interested in love. What for? So it can be lost in a breath?

Enter Jonathan P. Abbey, freelance tabloid journalist, suffering a mid-life crisis at forty-two and desperate for his lucky break. Abbey has come to realize that luck comes to those who make it--and that veld fires, once lit, burn endlessly. Jaz, Miguel, and Sandile might just be the right veld fire waiting to be lit, one which will disgorge a torrent of reportable events, each worthy of being published in the finest newspapers across the world.

Will Abbey light that fire? Or let it light itself and simply take the pictures?


REVIEW

When American born Jaz Curtis goes to South Africa to attend a six-month-long course at the University of the Witwatersrand, she is a sheltered girl out on her first real adventure; young, naive and as innocent as a modern eighteen-year-old girl can be. This changes drastically when she befriends Miguel Pinto and his best friend Sandile Mabuyo. Soon Jaz is caught up in Sandile's illicit affair with Elise, an Afrikaans girl. The four friends have a good time until Jonathan P. Abbey appears on the scene and Sandile's drug-using past catches up with him.

Set in a very realistically portrayed South Africa, Jaz & Miguel will appeal to anybody who wants to learn about the country and especially the smaller details that you won't find in a travel brochure. From an encounter with a sangoma, a Xhosa funeral ritual to a riot, the author doesn't paint a particularly dark or rosy picture; he just tells it as it is. The first part of the book is dedicated to descriptions of how Jaz experiences South Africa, the bonding of the friends and more specifically, the developing relationship between Jaz and Miguel. The question however is: can such a relationship ever lead to more seeing as Jaz will be leaving the country at the end of her course?

In the last third of the book tragedy strikes and the story picks up speed to become a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat reading experience.

The main character, Jaz, shows growth and change throughout the story. I can honestly say that this book contains some of the most realistic characters I have ever encountered in a book. Although the story is serious and deals with severe personal loss, hatred, revenge and difficult choices, it contains some wit and humor to lighten the mood. Ultimately it deals with making the right choices and that, even when a person is on a dark and destructive road, he/she can turn around and start over.

The ruthless reporter, Jonathan P. Abbey, is a prime example of how ambition and greed can destroy not only one's own life but also the lives of others.

For a reading experience with depth, lots of information and some tender and often uplifting romance in it, I highly recommend this book. Five stars to a great book and an author who clearly took the time to do some excellent research.

  
PURCHASE LINK


ABOUT the AUTHOR

R. D. Raven ("Rick") is a Luso-South-African living in Germany.

Although always an artist and having tried just about every type of art and fine art by the time he was seventeen—painting, drawing, singing, acting, guitar, piano, sculpting—writing as a form of self-expression only came much later in life.

Rick's favorite movie genres are comedies, romantic comedies and fantasies. His favorite book genres include just about everything. His Top 10 favorite movie list includes: The Holiday, Love Actually, Avatar, The Lincoln Lawyer, and Boyz n the Hood.

When not writing, he makes a living as a computer-programmer with one leg in Germany and the other in the UK. He moved to Germany six months after meeting the love of his life on an internet dating site (before the boom of Facebook and other social networks). The two of them continue to live happily together since 2007. Rick believes this to be the perfect romantic story; but one he will never write.

The pseudonym, R. D. Raven, was influenced in part by the poem, The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe.

AUTHOR LINKS

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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

BOOK BLAST & $50 GIVEAWAY: JOHN WILLIAM AND THE BANDITS OF BASSWOOD by Elizabeth Parkinson-Bellows

banditsJohn William and the Bandits of Basswood

We already know Alexander Drake’s story. His father, John William started it all years before when he entered Azra’s Pith. This is his story. John William was born an explorer; just like his dad before him. His adventure really began with the worst year of his life. He lived everyday in misery until his twelfth birthday. He set out to turn things around and find his smile again. A new friend gave him an invitation he could not turn down… follow me and change your destiny. He never imagined being captured by bandits and taken to a ship riddled with river rats was part of his fate. Not just any bandits – the Bandits of Basswood; known to be a ruthless and wild crew of thieves. Trying to escape would be a ridiculous idea. No one has ever escaped and lived to tell about it. Someone should have mentioned that to John William before he snuck off the ship. The chase out of Basswood was on. He took a chance to change his destiny and ended up on a wild ride to save his life.

Amazon

lizzie

Author Elizabeth Parkinson-Bellows
Being the frizzy-haired tomboy with buck teeth gave me a slight case of shyness as a kid. A colorful imagination meant escape and adventure at the drop of a hat.

Over the years I learned that the insecurities I carried around were a waste of time. I still prefer a football game to a manicure any day of the week. That indispensable imagination has found its way into my writing providing a sense of joy and a true purpose.

Website * Twitter * Facebook




Book Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 7/10/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Sunday, June 23, 2013

REVIEW: THE MIDAS CODE (Tyler Locke, #2) by Boyd Morrison

Title: The Midas Code (aka The Vault)
Series: Tyler Locke, #2
Author: Boyd Morrison
Publisher: Sphere
Publication Date: August 1, 2011
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Reviewed by: Books4Tomorrow
Source: Purchased
My smiley rating: 5/5

SUMMARY

Top army engineer Tyler Locke is given a mysterious ancient manuscript. Written in Greek, it initially seems indecipherable.But with the help of classics scholar Stacy Benedict, Locke comes to understand that this manuscript could provide the clues to the greatest riches known to mankind – the legendary treasure of King Midas.However, there are others who are also hot on the trail – and it rapidly becomes a race against time to crack a code that is both fiendishly difficult and potentially deadly….A sweeping, gripping read, The Midas Code blends fascinating incidents from myth and legend with a modern plot that will have you guessing to the very last page.

  
REVIEW


Does it ever happen to you where, after finishing a lightning-paced mystery thriller, you sit there for a few minutes thinking oh wow, while waiting for the last of the adrenaline rush to dissipate? Yes? Then you’ll understand exactly what an awesome read this is. If your answer happens to be “no”, you should definitely pick up a copy of The Midas Code to experience this thrill.

But the Midas Touch? It was ridiculous. Everyone knew it was a myth about the corrupting power of greed. King Midas was given the wondrous ability to turn anything he touched into gold, which he initially thought was a blessing. But when his feast of celebration became inedible at his touch, Midas realized that this talent was a curse. He begged the gods to rid him of it, and they did, but not before he accidentally turned his own daughter into gold.

Usually it takes me a day or two to finish a book. It took me a few days to get through this absolutely magnificent book. The writing is impeccable and engaging and the characters absolutely realistic. But really, the beauty of this story lies in the flawless, clever plot and the way the author brings the Midas Touch legend to life. Everyone knows the King Midas touch is only a myth, but Morrison made me believe that it could really exist and that having possession of the Midas Touch could give you the power to own the world. Using a colorful blend of science, myth, history, technology and archaeology, the author drew me into the story and got me thinking what I would do if I had the means to turn seawater into gold.

That’s not all there is to this story, though. I’m a girl who loves action movies and this is what this book is: one pulse-pounding action scene after another. Think kidnappings, dirty bombs, explosions (quite a few of those), the Italian mafia, secret codex designed by Archimedes, treasure maps that needs deciphering, underground tunnels and hidden chambers, car chases (one of them on the autobahn in high-priced vehicles), gun fights and gadgets that would get any techno-geek’s pulse racing. Now you have a tiny idea of what to expect, but trust me when I tell you this book is loaded with surprises. Plus, one of the bad guys listens to Metallica’s Enter Sandman on his iPod while inserting a detonator into a container of binary explosives. Metallica: making the bad guys’ minions look a tad more…evil.

I recommend this book for fans of Dan Brown and anyone who loves to read about hidden treasures, historical and archaeological legends, mysteries and puzzles. The Midas Code is a riveting novel that left me on a book high which lasted for hours. I already have three more books by this author on my kindle which I’m excitedly looking forward to reading. This is the second book in the Tyler Locke series, and as I haven’t read the first book, I can safely say that The Midas Code can be read as a stand-alone without having to read its predecessor, titled The Noah’s Ark Quest. Make sure to also read the “afterword” when you’re done reading this book. Lots of interesting tidbits from the author on how he created this novel.

My favorite quote:

The brave do what they can. The desperate do what they must. The crazy do what you least expect.
  


READ more REVIEWS

The Midas Code by Boyd Morrison has 81 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.

FANGIRLING

I found this weird little video with its catchy tune on YouTube which is similar to the title and theme of The Midas Code. What would you do if you had the Midas touch? Watch this video here.


One of the bad guys in The Midas Code was listening to this on his iPod while constructing a bomb. I just love Metallica!


PURCHASE LINKS


ABOUT the AUTHOR

Boyd Morrison is an author, actor, engineer, and Jeopardy! champion. He started his career working on NASA's space station project at Johnson Space Center, where he got the opportunity to fly on the Vomit Comet, the same plane used to train astronauts for zero gravity. After earning a PhD in engineering from Virginia Tech, he used his training to develop eleven US patents at Thomson/RCA. Boyd then managed a video game testing group in Microsoft's Xbox division before becoming a full-time writer. For non-fiction thrills, he enjoys white water rafting, skiing, scuba diving, and bungee jumping. Boyd is also a professional actor, appearing in films, commercials, and stage plays. In 2003 he fulfilled a lifelong dream and became a Jeopardy! champion. He currently lives in Seattle with his wife.

AUTHOR LINKS

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NETGALLEY KNOCKOUT CHALLENGE FOR 2013


NETGALLEY KNOCKOUT CHALLENGE FOR 2013

I love challenges, and I love NetGalley. I mean I really, really love NetGalley. It’s a book addict’s paradise! You get to request books for review from mainstream and indie authors and publishers, and if you’re approved, you get to read and review these e-ARCs before its official release date. I’d recommend NetGalley to authors and readers alike. Anyway, back to my NetGalley obsession. New books get uploaded to NetGalley daily, which makes me a daily stalker…ahem, I mean visitor to their website to browse for more books, even though I already have a ton of books for review. Being the book addict I am, I believe there’s no such thing as too many books, but even if another fifty years are added to my life, I fear it still might not be enough to get me through my current book pile. So, this challenge is perfect. For the next three months I’ll be focusing exclusively on reading and reviewing the books that I currently have in my NetGalley folder (excluding the ones I’ll undoubtedly request during the next three months):

Data Runner by Sam A. Patel
Hindsight by Sarah Belle
Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall
Ink (The Paper Gods, #1) by Amanda Sun
Plague Ship by Leonard Goldberg
Pharaoh by David Gibbins
Chasing Hope by Kathryn Cushman

Only seven books, I hear you say? Well…yes and no. Only seven NetGalley books, amongst hundreds of others I already have on my kindle and which I’ve been dying to read since the start of last year, but which I haven’t yet found the time to read. For the NetGalley Knockout Challenge these six books will be my priority.

You can also sign up for this challenge. After three months a winner will be selected to win a book of his/her choice to the value of $15. Click here or on the image at the top of this post (or in the sidebar) to read the rules and sign-up for this challenge. It’s not limited to NetGalley books only, but to any review books you have on your to-read list. Good luck!



Friday, June 21, 2013

REVIEW: GRAVITY (Gravity, #1) by Abigail Boyd

Title: Gravity
Series: Gravity, #1
Author: Abigail Boyd
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: May 18, 2011
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Reviewed by: Ellen Fritz
Source: Free download
Ellen’s smiley rating: 4/5

SUMMARY

One summer night in the town of Hell, Ariel Donovan's best friend goes missing. Everyone else believes Jenna ran away, but Ariel thinks something more sinister may have happened. She dreams of Jenna running to the abandoned orphanage in town, and then the building catching on fire. What does the orphanage have to do with Jenna's disappearance?

To complicate matters, a handsome new boy named Henry Rhodes has arrived in town, plaguing her with unwarranted attention. Even though she tries to stay away, she's drawn to him despite her best efforts, and can't help giving in to her attraction to him. Though he doesn't believe in the supernatural events that Ariel begins to witness, she enlists his help to figure out what is going on.

But when she discovers the truth, it's much worse than she ever feared.


REVIEW

If there’s something that frightens me in a paranormal story, that would be ghosts - the whole flickering lights, knocking on the walls, and cold, evil presences - Gravity has it all and more! Ariel Donovan, the main character, is literally haunted in her dreams by her friend, Jenna, who disappeared mysteriously. When these visions start happening when Ariel is dizzy or unconscious and she starts catching glimpses of more recently disappeared people, Ariel knows that something ominous – even evil, is going on and that she has to do something about it. The ability to see ghosts that Ariel might have inherited from her grandmother is, however, not as glamorous and exciting as people may think.

Although action, spine-chilling incidents and moments of true suspense are liberally spread throughout the story, the true magic of Gravity for me lay in the absolutely scary, spooky descriptions of hauntings and the things Ariel sees and experiences. The author's highly realistic descriptions managed to create a sinister atmosphere that had me closing the book well before dark.

Even though the characters are well crafted and believable, the male protagonist, Henry Rodes, irritated me a bit with his rapid and frequent attitude changes. Ariel however, disagrees with me and finds him the personification of all her romantic fantasies; to the point that it got on my nerves. Apart from this mild annoyance the author kept her characters within their age group and allowed them to still be kids. This story focuses on the problems that teenagers have with popularity, pressure from parents, favoritism from teachers and financial and social standing within the community. I found some of this truly heart breaking and especially so for the under dogs. Although the story has an underlying tone of sadness and loss to it, there fortunately are times that you will laugh out loud.

Gravity is one of those books that keeps you guessing right up to the end and would be a suitable read for young adults as well as adults who love a good, suspenseful ghost story.


READ more REVIEWS

Gravity by Abigail Boyd has 133 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.

PURCHASE LINKS

At the time of posting, Gravity was FREE for download on Amazon.com and SmashWords.


ABOUT the AUTHOR

I spend most of my days, when I'm not playing, taking care of, and bouncing off the walls with my children, writing and promoting my books. I have two more books planned forGravity, and two other series that I'm currently working on. I also work part-time at a video store because I liked Clerks.

I am inspired by my favorite authors, but what seems to be a bigger inspiration are TV shows. I have no problem admitting that Veronica Mars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Joan of Arcadia are huge inspirations and influences on my work. When I write, I want my stories to be funny, scary, and deeper than they look on the surface. I hope I've accomplished that.

AUTHOR LINKS

Blog    *    Website    *    Facebook    *    Twitter    *    Goodreads    *    Amazon

TIME-OUT!

I’ve been an avid blogger and reviewer since October 2011. It has changed my life in so many wonderful ways! I’ve met other reviewers ...