Book Review & Giveaway: PARIAH by C.R. Richards

Welcome to my stop on the book review tour for Pariah by C.R. Richards, an urban fantasy novel released on September 15, 2014. This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Click on the banner to visit other stops on this tour.

BLURB

Millennia have passed since the corrupt of Seelie society were banished from Otherworld. Abandoned in the Human Realm, their Descendants keep to the shadows, secretly controlling criminal organizations and swaying governments. Jin, a Seelie Descendant, refuses to swear allegiance to any Clan. Marked as a pariah, he is banished from their society. One ill-fated evening, Jin breaks the rules to visit the family he left behind. A chance meeting with an old enemy draws him into a murderous plot that could propel the Human Realm into a bloody war. His warning of insurrection goes unheeded. Determined to keep the plan secret, the conspirator summons an ancient demon with a taste for Seelie blood. It's reward? A pound of Jin's flesh.

On the run with a Death Mark on his head, Jin is desperate to find the cunning spider behind the conspiracy. With the help of Gracie Berry, a pre-cognitive with a hidden past, Jin searches for their allusive enemy before his ruthless hunters find their target.

EXCERPT

The parking lot behind the warehouse looked like a parking lot at a mortician's convention. Black limousines and sedans lined the blacktop under the morning Vegas sun. Jin passed them by with a derisive grunt. Then hope sparkled as a blue gem among coal. A blue Lamborghini Aventado Roadster glittered like a rock star at the end of the line of bulky sedans. He hurried over to run his hands along its sexy lines.

"Daddy like," Jin hummed under his breath. He lifted the door up and slid down into the sleek leather seat. The owner of this beautiful piece of automotive perfection hadn't locked it. In Jin's book, that meant the super-car wasn't being properly taken care of—an egregious sin. The cretin didn't deserve to own her. It was time she had someone behind the wheel who truly respected and adored every inch of her fine carbon fiber frame.

"Oh no, we are not stealing a car!" Gracie's bare feet danced on the hot pavement.

Jin pointed at the group of Seelie Descendants running toward them. Gracie yelped and raced around to the other side of the Lambo. Her fist banged on the door with an unacceptable level of disrespect for the super-car. For a brief moment, Jin considered leaving her and then motioned up with his hands. She got the hint and lifted the car door. The golden fabric crept up her bare thighs as she fell down into the seat. Her hand tugged at the hem when she caught him looking.

MY REVIEW

Pariah is officially in my top five funnest books to read list this year.

The novel opens with the worst dinner party ever. EVER. I loved that author dropped us into exciting action early in the book. No stringing you along for action until chapter 10. The novel's storyline is complex and entertaining. There is a motley crew of secondary characters that really add depth to the story and help move the plot forward.

What I liked most about the story is that it kept me guessing all of the way through. I couldn't figure out how Jin was going to clear himself of a frame up and prevent the Human Realm from falling into a war. I also liked that Jin (in all his shady angst) was dedicated to doing the right thing even though the Seelie society and his family turned their backs on him.

I simultaneously felt bad for and wanted to shake Gracie Berry. Being a pre-cognitive with a hidden past is no joke, but has its funny moments. I laughed aloud when Gracie went to the Las Vegas police to report a Seelie-related kidnapping. How many wild stories must the police hear in Vegas?


Pariah is an exciting page-turner – an intriguing mix of fantasy, mystery, romance, and adventure. And the book's cover is awesome looking! It lured me right into its pages. As Gracie would say, "Gawd!" I look forward to the author’s next book.


Recommended for:

• Fans of Urban Fantasy
• Fans of Action and Adventure

NOTE: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I'd like to have some Seelie abilities and the Lambo - just for a week or so.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

C. R. Richards is the award winning author of The Mutant Casebook Series. Her literary career began as a part-time columnist for a small entertainment newspaper. She wore several hats: food critic, entertainment reviewer and cranky editor. A lover of horror and dark fantasy stories, she enjoys telling tales of intrigue and adventure. Her most recent literary projects include the horror short story, Lost Man's Parish and the newly released novel length dark fantasy thriller, Pariah. She is an active member of EPIC and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.

Author Website

Blog: Deep Thoughts and Junk

FB Page: authorcrrichards

Twitter: @CR_Richards

Amazon Author Page: C. R. Richards 

Available for Purchase

Print

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Pariah-C-R-Richards/dp/0990669408/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410712332&sr=8-1&keywords=pariah+richards

Createspace - https://www.createspace.com/4971463


EBook

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MRLYPTW

Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pariah-c-r-richards/1120171710?ean=2940046094909

Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/465845

Also available on iBooks.

GIVEAWAY

The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn host.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review & Giveaway: CAIRNS OF SAINCTUARIE by Hawk MacKinney

Welcome to my stop on the book review tour for Cairns of Sainctuarie (The Bleikovat Event - Book 1) by Hawk MacKinney, a 228 page Sci-Fi novel available now from Sage World Publishing. This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Hawk will be awarding a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn host. Click on the banner to visit other stops on this tour. Be sure to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

BLURB

The Cairns of Sanctuarie: Volume I - The Bleikovat Event

Among the close-kin clans of western rural Malfesian Murians, farming and gelf ranches are long held traditions. Times are good…full barns, fat gelf calves and large families thrive among the sprawling grain fields and hamlets and the river from which they derive their name—the Feldon. Word comes with the trade caravans that times are not so good in the regions far to the east of the Feldon River: tumultuous changes stir among the remote province of Bleikovia. Old timer Feldovats shrug it off as one more squabble between clans over boundaries or water rights…too distant to affect the Feldovats.

The western clans learn too late, however, it is no local squabble. Outnumbered and unprepared, Feldovats resist a hoard bent on plunder and conquest. Days of battle along the Feldon River stain the riverbanks in green Murian blood. In the finals days of exhausted fighting, Judikar Klarvko Celo, leader of the Clan Klarvkon and the Feldovats, is fatally stabbed with the slow-acting sevon poison. The Judikar’s consort, Etikaa Klarvkaa, becomes Regentkaa, and with Celovat Field Commander Korvo Celo serving as her advisor, she leads the demoralized Feldovat survivors on a gruesome ill-prepared winter trek through high mountain passes of ice and blizzard snow in an attempt to elude the Green Dragon forces of the Bleikovats.

Etkaa’s only son, Klarvko Celo II, helps spirit Feldovat young across a remote mountain exodus to the west toward Eedov Province. The battered, starving Feldovats reach the Malfesian coast at Eedov City only to be confronted with their implacable enemy determined to destroy the remaining Klarvkon rabble. Taking passage on crowded lumbering Maalonovion freighters, Feldovats and Malfesian refugees set sail. On arrival in Maalon City they are welcomed among their Maalon hosts, and settle into a new life.

But famine and a pandemic pestilence stir old hates and nurse former ambitions. The enraged Overseers of Bleikovia move against the Klarvkons, this time bringing bloodshed to Maalonovia. The exiles from the Feldon must fight once again, but starvation and plague across the Planete Myr make it a different war from the battles along the Feldon…a na’ä blikovat…the Bleikovvat Phenomenon…an event with unexpected consequences and outcomes none could have foreseen.

Before the vendetta killing is exhausted, the Regentkaa Klarvkaa and her son are swept onto the Maalon throne, setting the Klarvkon Dynasty and the Murians toward an intergalactic golden age, and a star-flung destiny the once-agrarian Feldovats could never have envisaged.

EXCERPT

Prologue

The catafalque of the old Dowager Queen rested on the high rostrum of the Temple of the Goddess Myraa. There was little ceremony to the cremation of dead. Yet, all that had passed made this requiem for the Dowager Queen Klarvkaa Etkaa Bremanova Celovaa Bremanova symbol of the changes which had swept so many lives. Long annuals before the ascendancy of The Klarvkon Dynasty, the massive wood and granite Temple to the Goddess Myraa had been destroyed in the firestorm which laid waste Eedov City. After the close of the Malfesian War the temple was rebuilt, but not the city. On the ashes of the old temple, immense columns rose above the sanctuary and vaults. Iridescent alabaster and polished marbles greeted pilgrim supplicants who had come to the shoreline plains washed by the Green Sea.

Dowager Etkaa Klarvkaa…wife, myäat, founding matriarch of the Klarvkon Dynasty, gave hope from a time without hope. As was her wish, she would be cremated on the soil of her birth, her ashes to mingle with those of her consort, Klarvko Celo. Their son, His Imperial Majesty Klarvko Celo the Second, decreed it would be. At the enormous base of the great temple…a spectacle never seen before and seldom since those times, came an undulating ocean of banners. Some of clans which no longer existed, even the once-hated Green Dragon of Bleikovia. Murians had taken her to their hearts…and never relinquished her. Her shadow would reach across the centuries, and measure all who followed.

MY REVIEW

I won't summarize much. The blurb above pretty much says it all.

Caught up in the good life, the western clans of the Feldon failed to realize that the enemy plaguing eastern clans along the Feldon River would soon be at their doors. When the enemy finally arrived, there were no strong allies left to help them. In a bold and unusual move, the consort of the fallen Clan Klarvkon leader steps up to lead the Feldovats against enemy forces. The hardest challenges begin here.

As I read about the plight of the Feldovats, it reminded me of the famous Martin Niemöller (Protestant pastor and Nazi concentration camp survivor) quotation (versions vary):

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

I must confess that I started this book somewhat intimidated by the blurb. I continued to be intimidated through chapter 2. I was thrown off by the meaning and pronunciation of the clan and character names presented in the story (ex. the Regentkaa's name - Klarvkaa Etkaa Celovaa Bremanovaa). I twisted my ponytail as I clicked pages, unsure if I could easily follow the characters throughout the story.  

That was only a momentary worry. Things are started to click with chapter 3. By chapter five, I was overly engrossed and sneering, "Bring it on, Bleikovats punks. Regentkaa Etkaa and the Feldovats will never bow down."

Character-driven and fast-paced, this is an epic tale that weaves a story about fighting for survival with strings of fantasy, loyalty, and ethics. I especially liked the attention to scene detail. I could really picture them in my mind. I excitedly followed storyline events using the maps provided at the end of the book. MacKinney has a nice turn of phrase which should help Cairns of Sainctuarie stand-out in the sea of fantasy books. His writing style is descriptive and succinct. Two qualities that don't often come together in sci-fi and fantasy novels.  

All in all, Cairns of Sainctuarie is a promising start to the series. It will be a hearty treat for sci-fi and fantasy readers. It offers complex world building, a strong heroine as war leader, and lots of action.

NOTE: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I'd like to have a clak (see the animal on the cover) of my own.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Welsh and Scottish Hawk MacKinney grew up in northwest Arkansas, and wrote for his school newspaper. Hawk served over twenty years as a Special Staff Corps Officer with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, a Naval Academy Blue and Gold Recruiting Officer, a Navy Recruiting Command Liaison Officer, and Commanding Officer of units attached to the U.S. Marine Corps bases at Parris Island, South Carolina and Twentynine Palms, California. Along with his postgraduate degrees, he studied English and Russian history and foreign languages. As a faculty member in major medical and veterinarian universities, he authored professional articles and taught postgraduate courses in the United States and Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem. In addition to his sci-fi series, The Cairns of Sainctuarie, Hawk MacKinney has authored the Craige Ingram Mystery Series and Moccasin Trace, a historical romance nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award. 

Website: www.hawkmackinney.net

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cairns-Sainctuarie-Bleikovat-Event-Book-ebook/dp/B00A6BR6YG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1406718551&sr=8-7&keywords=hawk+mackinney

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-cairns-of-sainctuarie-hawk-mackinney/1113367156?ean=2940015906448

Sage World Publishing: http://www.sagewordspublishing.com/fantasy.shtml

BOOK TRAILER 

GIVEAWAY 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Book Blogger Platform by Barb Drozdowich: Book Review and Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the virtual blurb blitz tour for The Book Blogger Platform by Barb Drozdowich, a non-fiction reference book available now.

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Click on the banner to visit other stops on this tour.


BLURB

Book Blogging - One of the Best Hobbies in the World!

Join thousands of book bloggers in expressing their joy of reading!

Are you a book blogger or do you want to be one? Are you having trouble handling the technical details of blogging? The Book Blogger Platform can be a "user manual" for your blog! A book written by a book blogger for book bloggers and that answers all your questions!


The Book Blogger Platform covers topics such as:

1. What a book blogger blog needs to contain

2. A step by step guide to manipulating images and videos

3. A description of all the common features hosted by book bloggers

4. A description of the social media aspect to a book blogger platform

5. Being Social - the social aspect of book blogging


If you are tired of always asking other bloggers questions

Let The Book Blogger Platform guide you painlessly. Over 80 color graphics lead you step by step through some of the more difficult technical issues that bloggers face.

Pick up a copy today and approach blogging with confidence!

Buy link: http://amzn.to/1seIYyc (only available currently on Amazon)

EXCERPT from Chapter 1

Just as all book bloggers are different, their approach to book blogging is also different. Some book bloggers consider themselves primarily book reviewers. Some book bloggers consider themselves primarily promoters of books. Some book bloggers will only post about a book they have read. Some book bloggers will post about any book that belongs to a genre that fits the profile of their blog.

Book bloggers who consider themselves primarily book reviewers make their reviews the main focus of their blog. They often take their self-imposed “job” of reviewing books very seriously. They put hours of work into reading a book and then creating the right combination of words to best describe their thoughts and impressions. It’s a labor of love.

Many book bloggers, such as myself, consider themselves primarily promoters of books. I began my blog posting reviews of books I’d read, and I worked hard to grow my blog’s audience. I am very proud of my blog and the work that goes into it. However, I have a full-time job and a family. I don’t have enough reading hours to review one book a day, so I fill my blog’s days with a mixture of reviews and promotions. I don’t post more than once a day, but I use the platform I have built to promote as many books and authors as I can that fit within my reading taste.

As I mentioned above, some book bloggers will only post about books they have read. They feel that posting about a book is a recommendation of that book and they don’t want to recommend a book they haven’t read.

Have I read all the books that are promoted on my blog? No. I fit into the other camp of book bloggers. I see promoting books, whether through blog tours, reviews, or other promotions, as simply sharing information. I leave it up to my readers to decide whether to read the book or not.

Another area in which people hold strong feelings centers on whether or not to post negative reviews. One camp feels that all book bloggers who review books need to post negative reviews. They feel that having an assortment of positive and negative reviews creates balance. It allows readers to read about what the blogger likes and doesn’t like and why. It is often said that reviewers who only post positive reviews risk having their honesty questioned.

I am of the camp that doesn’t bother to finish a book if I am not enjoying it. I feel no need to talk about a book I didn’t like. I have boxes and boxes of books to be read. My Nook (e-reader) is full of little gems waiting for my attention. Maybe it’s my age, but I don’t soldier on, I move on. I do, however, make it clear in my review policy that I only talk about books that I enjoyed reading.

This topic will come up again later; you do need to give some thought to your philosophy on book blogging. Are you going to only post reviews? Are you only going to promote books you have read? This isn’t necessarily something that will be decided on at the beginning and that you can never change. Many book bloggers change their views as time progresses.

Accompanying your philosophy of blogging is your view of how much of a platform you are going to have. I started my blog to express my thoughts about the books I’d read. It never really occurred to me that other people would read what I had read, let alone comment on it or share it with friends!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with creating a book blog to share your thoughts with friends—old friends as well as new. If, however, you actively seek out blog tour posts and post promotions of author’s books, you should also be actively growing your book blogger platform. If someone is paying to post on your blog via a blog tour, you should be able to share this information with as many people as possible.

Everyone starts out as a baby blogger. Everyone has a different view of what they want their blog to be. There is no right or wrong answer. Every blog should be a reflection of its owner and its owner’s tastes.

I hope to use this book to describe the Book Blogger Platform in its entirety. I hope to give you a lot to think about. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions. I’m on Twitter, Facebook, and my blogs every day. My contact links will be listed at the end of this book. I love answering questions and chatting about books!

MY REVIEW

This book made me sound like an old lady. I told a friend, "These new bloggers have it so much easier. When I first got into hobby blogging, I had to do it with one hand tied behind my back, in the dark, on my tippy toes - with no help."

Okay. My comment was a bit of an exaggeration, but on some days it sure felt about right. I wish that The Book Blogger Platform was around when I started blogging. I considered myself to be a reader that happened to blog so I didn't want to invest huge amounts of time and money on the site. However, I didn't want my site to be an eyesore either. TBBP would have saved me time and frustration.

It is a user manual with a mix of information (I finally found out what CAPTCHA stands for), tutorials, and advice (I am rewriting my review policy page right now and found the advice helpful). I especially liked the attention to detail on the step-by-step tutorials. TBBP primarily focuses on Blogger and WordPress, as they are the most popular blogging platforms.

I think that new and established bloggers alike will find value in reading this user manual. I will be making some changes to MAD Hoydenish in November. I'll be incorporating a few things from The Book Blogger Platform. Thanks Barb!

NOTE: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Social Media and Wordpress Consultant Barb Drozdowich has taught at Universities and Colleges, trained technical personnel in the banking industry and, most recently, used her expertise to help dozens of authors develop the social media platform needed to succeed in today’s fast evolving publishing world. She owns Bakerview Consulting and manages the popular blog, Sugarbeat’s Books.

Bakerview Consulting (Business Site) http://bakerviewconsulting.com

Barb Drozdowich (Author Site) http://barbdrozdowich.com

Sugarbeat’s Books (Book Blog) http://sugarbeatsbooks.com

Facebook(Author blog) https://www.facebook.com/BarbDrozdowichAuthor

Twitter http://twitter.com/sugarbeatbc

Google+ https://plus.google.com/110824499539694941768

GIVEAWAY

Barb will be awarding a $20.00 Amazon/B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $20.00 Amazon/B&N gift card to a randomly drawn host.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review and Giveaway: Tower of Obsidian by L.T. Getty

Welcome to my stop on the tour for Tower of Obsidian by L.T. Getty, an epic fantasy of 354 pages available now from Burst Books.

This post is part of a virtual review book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. L.T. Getty will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour. Remember, the more stops you visit, the more chances you earn to win.

BLURB

Journey back through time – to a kingdom where loyalties change hands and a duke plans to secure his kingdom through any means necessary, where oaths are broken and dismissed to forge new alliances, resulting in treachery.

Journey to save the one who was stolen from you – from the forests of the Emerald Isle to the icy waters of the Nordic New World. Journey by horse, ship, and wing.

Journey to the Tower – the Witch’s Tower that curses the people forced to serve it. Journey and kill the witch that plagues you and be free – face her dragons without becoming one yourself.

For the journey to the tower is only the beginning. Climb the tower and kill her; climb the tower and save her. The story has been told a thousand times, the only thing that is guaranteed to change is you.

EXCERPT

At first, he thought they were Vikings. Their attackers were large men with broad faces and full beards. He did not recognize their dark leather and metal dress or their pale, grayish skin painted white. It was late in the battle so their true color was easily seen underneath the smeared segments which weren’t spattered with blood. Braided into their hair and beards were the teeth and bones of both men and beasts.

Despite the chaos, he could see their ship, and then he heard a reptilian chortle from above. Not a sea serpent, but a great silver dragon, smaller than the ship he was on.

It rained down fire toward the sails. Several warriors from both sides were caught in the flames; some of who leapt into the waves. Kale took cover but was instantly dry; his back burned, for the corsair’s ship was already on fire, forcing him toward the ship’s stern. He had talked with Vikings before, their merchant allies, and even some captured enemies. He had tried not to listen to their pagan stories but became interested when they spoke of their ghosts.

One large, pale warrior was struck by a corsair’s blade, and he bled as dark as any man. Ghost or mortal, Kale had no idea, but the word draugr burned into his mind as he fought. He tried to remember the stories, but with what seemed like death battling him, his mind was of survival, not folklore.

The dragon then dove beneath the waves. He barely had time to parry the attack from a one–armed draugr. Parrying, Kale caught his scent. The warrior was no ghost. He’d received a cut to his head. He knocked Kale backwards, only for a corsair to shoot him from behind.

“Show them no mercy,” shouted the corsair. “I thought you were a great swordsman. Fight!”

MY REVIEW

Let me begin by giving the same advice that I gave people about The Girl with Dragon Tattoo: It starts slowly. Be patient. It's worth it. Trust me.

The novel opens with a truly magnificent prologue. One of the best that I've read in ages.

Kicking off in Killiath, Ireland (in 994), the story of the Tower of Obsidian starts off a little slow. It takes a while for the author to set up the theme and characters. That's not unusual for an epic fantasy. [There are many secondary characters and sub-plots in this story]

That said, once the quest gets going - it really gets going. Or should I say quests? There are actually two quests happening within the book. One quest is the adventure of a great hero (Kale) who is compelled to choose duty over love, only to be betrayed during his mission. The other is an adventure about a rebuffed maiden (Aoife) and a best friend (Aaron) trying to save someone who was stolen from them (the aforementioned Kale). 

Yup. The maiden attempts to rescue her lost love. She is not the rescuee.

Have you heard the phrase, "Go big or go home?" Getty goes big. I am talking love, dragons, magic, witches, misfortune and an ancient tower. Did I mention dragons? The twists and turns that bring the two adventures together are fast-moving and engaging.

What starts off slowly, turns into an epic tale that weaves a story of historical fiction, romance and mythology into legend. I especially liked the author's description of sailing across the the uncharted waters towards the Nordic colonies.

All in all, the novel is a promising debut. I would like to read more about Fianait's story (Aoife’s sister). Perhaps we'll get to see more of Fianait in another book.  

If I had to describe the book using books that I've read, I'd say Tower of Obsidian is Life Descending meets Lord of the Rings.  


Recommended for:

• Fans of Epic Fantasy
• Fans of Historical Fantasy

NOTE: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. See the tour schedule for additional stops.

AUTHOR INFO

L.T. Getty started writing in Junior High, having devoured far too many novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs as a wee one, then just about any other science-fiction and fantasy novels she could find. Her debut novel, Tower of Obsidian, is inspired by Norse and Celtic mythology.

Blog: http://ltgetty.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leia.getty

Buy Links:

Burst: http://burstbooks.ca/product.php?id_product=90 (This is the Ebook; print is also available)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.ca/Tower-Obsidian-L-T-Getty-ebook/dp/B00BAH9XSW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394632445&sr=8-1&keywords=tower+of+obsidian

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tower-of-obsidian-l-t-getty/1114919470?ean=9781927454770

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/300308

GIVEAWAY

Don't forget! L.T. Getty will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Leave a comment below and you'll be entered to win. You could:

• Ask L.T. Getty a question about Tower of Obsidian or writing.
• Tell us what are the most important elements in good epic fantasy storytelling, in your opinion? 
• Share your favorite epic fantasy story.

Book Review and Giveaway: The Overending by Rick Johnson

Welcome to my stop on the review tour for The Overending by Rick Johnson. The Overending is a 274 page middle grade fantasy book that is available now.

Rick will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click here to see the other stops on the tour. Remember, the more stops you visit, the more chances you earn to win.

Blurb

The Overending is nonstop, fast-paced, mind-bending fantasy. Fantastic and quirky, exhilarating and addicting, this entertaining adventure takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end. Ridiculous, but deadly serious. Hits you hard in the funnies, while turning your mind inside out. The Overending continues the unfolding epic saga of the Wood Cow Chronicles—a fantastical, magical, completely unexpected world that swallows both kids and adults whole!

 Excerpt

A crash would mean certain, perhaps instant, death. The only hope was to keep the spinning airship off the deadly peaks. His mind racing, even as nausea made him gasp for breath, Emil realized that survival required one desperate step.

“PorNart, my friend,” Emil said, “I’m going to take a big chance and—I’ll either save us both, or we both die.”

Emil reached upward and grasped the anchor rope coiled and fastened overhead. Used only to secure an inflated balloon to the ground, the rope currently had no purpose. Uncoiling the rope, Emil wrapped it several times around PorNart’s body and knotted it securely. Taking the remaining length of rope, Emil looped it under his arms and knotted it in the same fashion.

“Now for the tricky part,” Emil thought grimly. One by one, Emil removed the safety-lock pins from the latches connecting the balloon to the passenger enclosure with all its equipment. Then, he released one latch after another. SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! The passenger capsule fell free from the sturdy ropes securing it to the balloon. In a short time, only two ropes remained. Swinging and bucking wildly, the heavy capsule tore free from the last two latches without any help from Emil. SNAP! SNAP!

With the weight of the capsule gone, the balloon climbed rapidly. Charging upward, the balloon flew towards the saw-toothed ridge ahead with two figures dangling below by a single slender rope.

My Review

"Act wisely, learn quickly, and think bravely, that others may live."  

The Overending is volume two of the Wood Cow Chronicles. While it can be read as a standalone, I think that it would be helpful to read volume one, Helga: Out of Hedgelands, before starting The Overending.

As the High One's tyranny spreads across the land, no one is safe. The first chapter of The Overending drops you off right in the middle of the action. Emil and PorNart are escaping from Maev Astute (the great castle of the High One) in a balloon.

Emil (a member of the Wood Cows clan) and PorNart (a member of the Coyote clan) unwittingly land in the middle of an abolitionist movement. They get caught up in SLOPS (shorthand for Slave-Losing Operations), a motley crew of animals that are working against the High One's slaving system.

When fifteen-year-old Helga hears of her brother Emil's escape and new mission, she rushes to warn him of the High One's aim to shut down SLOPS. Reunited against the great danger, Helga and old allies join forces in a chain of events that foretell the Overending.

"If worries were years, Helga would see that I lived a long life" - Helbara

Character-driven and fast-paced, The Overending is a epic tale that weaves a story of fantasy with strings of humor, morality, and ethics. Neither preachy or high-handed, I think that readers (both children and adults) will find this story thoughtful and engaging.

"Our stories are not divided into yours and ours." TrimWagg

I especially liked the attention to detail on the various clans. I could really picture them in my mind. If I had to describe the book using books that I've read, I'd say The Overending is Animal Farm meets Lord of the Rings.

Recommended for:

• Fans of middle grade fiction
• Fans of fantasy

Volume three of the Wood Cow Chronicles will be released in November 2014. Check out the sneak peak preview chapter over on Wattpad.

NOTE: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. See the tour schedule for additional stops.

About the Author

I am a native of the Great Plains, having grown up on a farm in the Platte River Valley of western Nebraska. I love the wild beauty of the Plains and nearby Rocky Mountains--the too hot, too cold, too empty, too full of life extremes. Typically, the awesomely diverse and the awesomely stark are much the same, even as they are different. Although I have lived in Michigan, North Carolina, and British Columbia, the western plains, mountains, and desert are in my heart.

As my day job, for over thirty years I have been a faculty member and administrator in higher education. Teaching broadly in the liberal arts, including creative writing, in addition to my novels, my professional publications include educational materials, poems, and 28 stories for young readers. I am a member of SCBWI.

As an author, I'm drawn to eccentric, unexpected characters: those who surprise because they hear a distant galaxy, see a different music, create their own fragrance rather than get hooked on a soundtrack; the child who has her own ideas about how the emperor is dressed; the lunatics and rebels who tell stories on the boundaries. I tell unusual stories that take readers to worlds they never imagined—definitely a whole new ride.

Links

http://www.woodcowbooks.com/
http://www.rick-johnson.com/
https://twitter.com/WoodCowBooks
https://www.facebook.com/WoodCowBooks
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1497328683

HOW to BE a MILLIONAIRE by Rosey Dow [Book Review]

Author: Rosey Dow
Hardcover: 171 pages

Publisher: Thorndike Press; Large-print edition

Language: English

From the Cover:

Christy Award - winning author Rosey Dow creates a rich Christmas romance in this story from nineteenth-century Colorado. Penny Joshua decides to train a bellboy to act like a millionaire to refer her brother for loan approval. Will a case of mistaken identity lead to a hot spring of shame, or heat up to romance over the Christmas season?

Twitter-Sized Summary

A ruse to garner financing gets more complicated when a case of mistaken identity and a touch of romance are added.

short, sweet, clean #3Words2DescribeU


My Thoughts

How to Be a Millionaire is an okay weekend read. The waiter-millionaire scenario is a bit of a stretch (just go with it). It is also a little too predictable for my tastes, most likely due to its length. [I must admit that I am not a big fan of short-stories and novellas. So of course, I wished that it was longer.] The story was pleasant enough though: easy to read, wholesome, and sweet. For such a short story, the publishers seemed to make some distracting errors in their print editions.

How to Be a Millionaire is a Christian-based read (i.e. clean - no foul language or sex, references to faith). Therefore, I think that it is accessible to a wide range of readers - from younger teens to adults. Through the romance, the story also delivers a gentle message about the fine line between lies and purposeful misdirection.

Recommended for:

• Romance readers
• Historical romance readers
• Christian fiction readers

How do you rate the book?

NOTE: The story seems more like a novella than a novel (making the single story asking price seem a bit steep). I would recommend getting the collection book, Colorado Christmas. It includes all of the individual stories in the series:  How to Be a Millionaire, A Wife in Name Only, and Love by Accident.



Related Posts:

What did I miss? Is it me? Or bad editing?

The Hunger Games Tribute Guide [Book Review]

Author: Emily Seife

Paperback: 128 pages   

Publisher: Scholastic Press

It's been a while ... I got a copy of The Hunger Games Tribute Guide to refresh my memory on what happened in the first novel of The Hunger Games trilogy before watching the movie. I think calling it the "ultimate" guide is a bit of a stretch. It kind of reminded me of the play bills that you get at a theater. You get a high-level "Capitol" overview of the game (from how the tributes are chosen and groomed, up to just before the game starts) and pictures of the movie characters.  It's spoiler-free.

Pictures: If you have been following the progress of the movie on the Web (even a little bit), you've probably already seen most of the pictures in the book (in stills or in the trailer). There is not much new to see. There are pictures of each tribute with a caption listing their name, district, gender, height and weapon of choice in the arena. Unfortunately, most of the tributes have no name listed. Even though many of the tributes were only referenced by district number in the book, it was still somewhat of a letdown to see "Tribute Girl" or "Tribute Boy" listed on most of the profile pictures.

Having already read the book and seen most of the pictures, The Hunger Games Tribute Guide didn't really add much to my fan experience. I liked the The Hunger Games: Official Illustrated Movie Companion better.

Recommended for:

• People who have not read The Hunger Games
• People who want The Hunger Games collector items  

Everyone else:

• Flip through it at the library or bookstore

POLL: Why did you read THE HUNGER GAMES TRIBUTE GUIDE book?

POLL: Why did you read THE HUNGER GAMES TRIBUTE GUIDE book?