Book Blitz + Giveaway: Cage of Deceit by Jennifer Anne Davis

Cage of Deceit (Reign of Secrets #1) 

by Jennifer Anne Davis
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: August 25th 2015
YA, fantasy

Jennifer Anne Davis’ best-selling True Reign series captivated readers from the very first page. Now, get ready to become entangled in the follow-up series, Reign of Secrets. In this new series, follow Allyssa, the daughter of the beloved Emperor Darmik and Empress Rema— and find out what happens after happily ever after.

Seventeen-year-old Allyssa appears to be the ideal princess of Emperion—she’s beautiful, elegant, and refined. She spends her days locked in a suffocating cage, otherwise known as royal court. But at night, Allyssa uses her secret persona—that of a vigilante—to hunt down criminals and help her people firsthand.

Unfortunately, her nightly escapades will have to wait because the citizens of Emperion may need saving from something much bigger than common criminals. War is encroaching on their country and in order to protect her people, Allyssa may have to sacrifice her heart. Forced to entertain an alliance through marriage with a handsome prince from a neighboring kingdom, she finds herself feeling even more stifled than before. To make matters worse, the prince has stuck his nosy squire, Jarvik, to watch her every move.

Jarvik is infuriating, bossy and unfortunately, the only person she can turn to when she unveils a heinous plot. Together, the unlikely pair will have to work together to stop an enemy that everyone thought was long gone, one with the power to destroy her family and the people of Emperion. Now the cage Allyssa so longed to break free from might just be the one thing she has to fight to keep intact. In order to save her kingdom, she will have to sacrifice her freedom, her heart, and maybe even her life.

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Author bio

Jennifer graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in English and a teaching credential. Afterwards, she married her best friend and high school sweetheart. Jennifer is currently a full-time writer and mother of three young children. Her days are spent living in imaginary worlds and fueling her own kids’ creativity.

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Interview with Jennifer!

1. What do you feel about the number '13'?

When I was in high school, the first date I had with my now husband, was on Friday the thirteenth! So instead of being freaked out over the number, I love it!! 


2. What's the best thing that happened after your book was published?

I love receiving messages from my readers telling me that my book has touched their lives. There’s nothing better than that!


3. Do you read reviews of your books?

Always. I want to know what my readers think. If they liked the story, I want to know why so I can make sure I keep doing it!! However, if there was a problem or something they didn’t like, I want to know so I don’t make the same mistake twice!


4. What is your best or most unforgettable moment with a fan?

I had a girl come up to me, in tears, saying that my book helped her get through some stuff she was dealing with personally. (My book deals with sexual assault, so hearing that I helped someone is beyond words.)


5. Share us one embarrassing moment you've had.

There’s been so many . . . how to choose only one? 


6. Favorite color? Blue
Favorite movie? Pride and Prejudice 
Favorite ice cream flavor? Mint Chip
Favorite song? Christina Perri, A Thousand Years 

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Feature & Follow Friday #24

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by two different hosts, Parajunkee and Alison Can Read! This meme is here for bloggers to gain new blogger friends and followers.

It's been a long time since I participated this weekly meme, but I'm happy to jump back!

This weeks topic:

If you could have any animal in the world as a pet, what would you pick? Fictional ones count too!

Wolf and fox. I'm greedy like that, okay, so I want both. I've always loved how majestic wolves are and while they can be dangerous (then again, so can humans), I can't get over how beautiful and powerful they are. And foxes, have you seen one of those small little cute creatures? So adorable! I also love how smart foxes are, and just about anything else about them.

Really, I'd give almost anything to get a dire wolf like Stark's have in the Game of Thrones.

(But yeah, I'd be overly happy to take care of smaller and less predatory animals too, like hegdehog or squirrel.)

How about you?

Top Ten Tuesday: My Auto-buy Authors (Whom I Give All My Love)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week participating bloggers can create lists of topic given by the host, and share them with others!

I don't have that many auto-buy authors, mostly because I mainly decide what to read paced on the blurb and synopsis of the book. But I do have a few trusted authors whose books I'll read no matter what,

Kelley York

I read Hushed back in 2012 and I fell in love. It was everything I ever hoped a LGBT story to be: gritty, dark, painful but it still gave hope and brilliant romance. Since then I've purchased every book York has published - and read them (okay, Modern Monsters and Hollowed are still sitting on top of my TBR pile, but I'll read them soon). She hasn't disappointed me either, as I've loved every one of her books. Also, York is a darling, she's so nice!
Sally Green

Not a surprise that she made to my list after Half Bad (and Half Wild). I'll surely follow her career as an author and buy everything she'll publish. I mean, if she can create something so brilliant as witch community I actually want to read and characters like Nathan and Gabriel and many others, it means she's genious. And I'm not going to miss any of her future books.
Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky is my favourite trilogy, has been since I read the first installment back in 2012. I love everything about UTNS, especially Rossi's characters, world-building and writing style. I do own Boomerang and Rebound but haven't read those yet - but I do plan doing it soon. I'm also anticipating her upcoming YA novel, Riders, like no other. It's about four horsemen, and it can't be anything else than pure awesomeness.
Becky Albertalli

I was sold as soon as I read first sentence of Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda. I fell in love and I fell hard. Albertalli is also such a sweetheart and I'll support her career and buy, read and love her books.
Jennifer Rush

Rush is special, okay? I've purchased her books (Altered, Erased and Reborn) in hardback, which I never do. But I can't wait for almost a year the paperback versions so I always gave in and buy hardbacks when it comes to her. I'm a slow reader, kinda, but I've devoured all of the above three books during a day. It's a testament of how good her stories are. Now I just have to wish that Reborn isn't the end for Altered saga.
J.K. Rowling

Is it any surprise that she's on my list? Probably not. I haven't read A Casual Vacancy yet, but I do own it. I'm also planning to buy Cuckoo's Calling - yes, it should have been an auto-buy but I was on a book buying ban (kinda) when it was published. But I'll read it, even though it's not a genre I usually read. That can be a testament how I'll read anything Rowling ever writes.
Janet Edwards

She needs to write more books, okay? I fell in love with Earth Girl, and even though sequels usually aren't as good as the first one (I have almost a love-hate relationship with series, only a few series I've enjoyed all of the installments, Edwards wrote two amazing sequels. The prequels are just waiting for me to read them as I've already purchased them.
Saruuh Kelsey

For one, she's my friend and I'll support my friends, and secondly, I love her stories and characters. Okay, I'm a bad person and haven't read The Wandering yet (in my defense, I just can't with the wait for the third book so I'll read The Wandering closer to third book's release date). And oh my goodness, The Dryad of Callaire has been released! I'm overly excited to have my copy right after the upcoming move.
James Dashner

I put him on my list because he's kinda auto-buy for me. I loved The Maze Runner like no other, and I confess that I own three copies of the first book. I've also pre-ordered a limited edition of The Scorch Trials and I really want the US movie edition to match my The Maze Runner. And I'm so buying a limited edition of The Death Cure if there'll be one next year. And movie edition, too. I just love the trilogy and I'm not even ashamed that I have multiple copies of it. I also have The Eye of Minds, and if I like it, I'm so buying it's sequels. The point is, if it's Maze Runner related, I'll buy it.
Who are your auto-buy authors?

Book Blitz + Giveaway: A Killing Among Friends by Toni Morrow Wyatt

A Killing Among Friends

by Toni Morrow Wyatt
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: August 10th 2015
YA, mystery, thriller

Sennie Lacefield has always felt safe at her family’s peaceful mountain lodge . . .

The only break in her tranquil life was the death of her boyfriend Patrick Devon, which left her heartbroken and unable to understand Patrick’s sullen, withdrawn brother Lonnie. But when her best friend Reatha Alcoker disappears, her sense of security is shattered. With the help of Reatha’s boyfriend Milo Durham, she launches a search for her friend.

More girls disappear, and bodies begin turning up . . .
When one of the missing girls is found dead in a swamp with a symbol burned into her forehead, Sennie focuses on her growing list of suspects. She can’t count on help from the lazy, lecherous Sheriff Warford Cackley. She also has suspicions the sheriff’s son Rex and his nasty friend Ottis know more than they’re willing to share.

Someone is watching Sennie’s every move . . .

Refusing to believe Reatha is dead, Sennie and Milo continue their frantic search, and Sennie is plagued with threatening messages. When another girl’s body is discovered, she and Milo visit the site and find evidence that Reatha has also been there. Some aerial photographs might hold a vital clue . . . if they can find them in time.

As Sennie unravels a tangled web of secrets, arson, burglary, and murder, could it be that a desire to help Sennie has warped the mind of a murderer?

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As a child, Toni Morrow Wyatt's family spent nearly every summer visiting relatives in a small, rural community in Arkansas. Finding magic in this place, it is the setting for many of her novels. Her love for southern fiction led to the writing of her upcoming novel, A Killing Among Friends, and also, Return to Rocky Gap. Her work has appeared in From the Depths Literary Journal and Belle Reve Literary Journal. She writes an eclectic blog titled, A Pinch of Me, on Tumblr. She was previously an independent bookseller, owning and operating Kindred Books for seven years.

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Excerpt

Anxiety ran its swift edge through her stomach without warning as she turned to gaze across the lake and into the surrounding dense forest.

Someone is watching me. I wish I could see through the trees. They could be anywhere.

She rubbed her hand down the length of her arm. There was no movement, except for the gentle swaying of the trees as the early dawn breeze rustled their needles and thick, green leaves. She turned forward, but the uneasy feeling didn’t pass. Someone was watching her. The chestnut brown hairs on the back of her neck, just under her long ponytail, prickled.

 Evil is on the prowl, waiting for the right moment to pounce on me. 

Bringing her knees to her chest, a ripple of fear dotted her spine, making her skin crawl. The first time she had experienced this feeling was in May, the week school had ended for summer break. The rumors about two girls who had gone missing stayed in the back of her mind. It wasn’t unusual for girls to run off from the small town of Mayrose, Arkansas. They would most likely be found in Little Rock, sad and miserable because city life hadn’t turned out the way they had thought it would. But so far, no one had been able to track down the two latest missing girls. That was unusual. 

Book Blitz + Giveaway: Lumière by Jacqueline Garlick

Lumière (The Illumination Paradox, #1) 

by Jacqueline Garlick
Publication date: December 12th 2013
YA, Steampunk

Even in a land of eternal twilight, secrets can’t stay hidden forever.

Seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth is no stranger to living in the dark. She’s hidden her secret affliction all of her life—a life that would be in danger if superstitious townspeople ever guessed the truth. After her mother is accused and executed for a crime that she didn’t commit, the now-orphaned Eyelet has no choice but to track down the machine—her last hope for a cure. But Eyelet’s late father’s most prized invention, the Illuminator, has been missing since the day of the mysterious flash—a day that saw the sun wiped out over Brethren forever.

Alone and on the run, she finds the Illuminator—only to witness a young man hauling it away. Determined to follow the thief and recover the machine, she ventures into the deepest, darkest, most dangerous part of her twisted world.

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I'm Jacqueline Garlick, author of young adult and new adult fiction. I love strong heroines, despise whiny sidekicks, and adore a good story about a triumphant underdog. (Don't you?) 

I love to read, write, paint (walls and paper). I have a love/hate relationship with chocolate, grammar, and technology and would rather hang out with a dog, than a cat. I prefer creating things to cleaning things, and believe laughter is a one-stop-shop solution to all that ails you. You will always find a purple wall (or two) in my house (currently in my writing room), and there may or may not be a hidden passageway that leads to a mystery room. (Okay, so you won't find a hidden passageway, but a girl can dream, can't she?) Oh, and tea. There will always be tea. 

My writing style has been described as edgy and rule-breaking, and by some--a touch Tim Burton-esque. Because of this, I am often referred to as the Quentin Tarantino of YA among writing friends. 

In my former life, I was a teacher (both grade school and college-don't ask), but more recently I've been a graduate of Ellen Hopkin's Nevada Mentor Program and a student of James Scott Bell, Christopher Vogler and Don Maass. An excerpt from Lumière earned me the 2012 Don Maass Break Out Novel Intensive Scholarship. 

Lumière--A Romantic Steampunk Fantasy--my debut novel, is the recipient of an indieBRAG Medallion!!! B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree October 15, 2014) I am so proud! (LUMIERE by Jacqueline E. Garlick is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!) Book II of the ILLUMINATION PARADOX SERIES, is out January 26th, now on pre-order.

Also, check out my young adult contemporary romantic/mystery serial, IF ONLY, where reluctant telepathic sleuth Kyla Cooper must embrace her powers and risks all to solve the mystery of what happened to her boyfriend Denver Munro, becoming his voice of truth, before he has no voice at all...

I love hearing from READERS! Please contact me, either at my website: www.jacquelinegarlick.com, or catch up with me on twitter @garlick books, or on facebook: http://bit.ly/jegarlickfb

I'm open to reviews and interview, requests for skype visits, guest blogs, pod casts and book club meetings! I LOVE TO HEAR FROM READERS!

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Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag

I wasn't tagged by anyone but I really liked to do this one, so yeah. I haven't even done tags for a while, so here's one I had a lots of fun with!

1. Best Book You've Read So Far in 2015

Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. With all its brilliant glory, there's no doubt about this choice.

2. Best Sequel You've Read so Far in 2015

Half Wild by Sally Green. My ship sailed, and I firmly believe it'll sail once again. (Now, if Annalise would just die painfully.. She crates my nerves.)

3. New Release You Haven't Read Yet but Want To

Hands down Modern Monsters by Kelley York. I'm planning to dive into this after the upcoming move.

4. Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half of the Year

The Rest of Us Just Lives Here by Patrick Ness. I'm so excited about this one, I mean, the synopsis and all. And one of the characters is called Henna, I've never seen my name in English books.

5. Biggest Disappointment

It's a tie between White Cat by Holly Black and The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough. The latter I expected so much but the romance was flat and boring, and White Cat has the most irritating female character ever and I can't ever see myself reading the rest of the series because of that character (even though I liked the main character, plot and writing style).

6. Biggest Surprise

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan. I expected to like this but oh boy did it sweep me off my feet. It was more brilliant and glorious and everything. I didn't except it to be this perfect, so yeah, it wins the title of biggest surprise.

7. Favorite New Author (Debut To You)

Becky Albertalli receives the honour. Simon Vs was just so perfect. However, Megan Erickson needs to receive a honourable mention because I'll definitely read her other books now on.

8. Newest Fictional Crush

There's already a few during the first half of 2015, but newest of them must be Aaron from Pretty Dark Nothing by Heather L. Reid. He's just so caring and adorable.

(Nick & Trev from Reborn should be mentioned but I didn't choose them because technically neither of them are new as I read Altered back in 2013.) 

9. Newest Favorite Character

Justin or Landry from Trust the Forcus by Megan Erickson. Possibly both of them. Preferably together.

10. Book That Made You Cry

Without Chance by Christopher Bailey. Oh boy did I weep. The twist just got me and I cried for so many reasons and people need to read this book because it's good and brilliant and important.

11. Book That Made You Happy

Earth Star by Janet Edwards because it was a sequel which I loved and everything made me so happy about it.

12. Favorite Book To Film Adaptation

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, definitely. I saw the movie a few years ago but didn't read the book until now. I must say, I prefer the book but I love the movie nonetheless.

13. Favorite Review You've Written This Year

I don't know what to say. I don't really have a favourite. Although I think I did good with Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda review. (link here)

14. Most Beautiful Book You've Bought This Year So Far

Half Wild by Sally Green, it's just so gorgeous.

15. What Book(s) Do You Need To Read by The End of The Year

Definitely Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge, Vicious by V.E. Schwab and Better When He's Bad by Jay Crownover. I already own all of them, now I just need to get the upcoming move out of the way so I can read all of them.

I tag:

Saruuh @ Syntax Reviews

Kirsty @ Studio Reads

Chapter Reveal + Giveaway: The Dryad of Callaire by Saruuh Kelsey

The Dryad of Callaire

by Saruuh Kelsey

The Legend Mirror, book 2

YA fantasy

Release date: 18/08/15

The Legend Mirror series returns with more mythology, more danger, and more Majick as Yasmin Wikke sets out on a quest to find her missing girlfriend.  

Reeling from the fight with Discordia, Yasmin and the Red search for answers. Who is Discordia? Why were they stealing Majick? And where have they taken Fray and Priscilla Hannam, a Legendary swept away in the midst of battle? To get them back, Yasmin will have to ally with both Gods and strangers, and go to extreme lengths. 

Fray and Priscilla have been stolen, taken to an impossible place that is slowly changing them. Their captors are monsters with venom in their teeth and bloody hands, and they want to use the girls to win a war. But armed with a terrifying and empowering new ability, Fray will die before she becomes their pawn.

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Read the other chapters:

Chapter Two (Sunday)

Chapter Three (Monday)

About the Author:

Saruuh Kelsey is the author of several novels for young adults, including the free Lux Guardians series and The Legend Mirror series. Find her at http://saruuhkelsey.co.uk/

Chapter 1:
FRAY
THE IMPOSSIBLY TALL MAN



The monsters come for me three minutes and twelve seconds after Yasmin leaves. I know the exact time because I’m watching the second hand jump from spoke to spoke of the yellowed clock face, waiting for her to return. 

My heart leaps into my throat when the front door slams open, the noise crashing down the hallway. The only person who uses that door is my uncle but he’d never kick it open. A whimper catches the back of my throat.

Seconds tick by and I’m glued to the spot, frozen by panic.

 In the next room a cabinet collides with the floor, the one with my mother’s rare vases on it. The moment I hear the vases shatter, my lungs feel fatally starved of air. I want to scream for Yasmin but she left minutes ago. She won’t hear.

I’m on my own.

Feet stomp though the living room and into my hallway. I hear a voice as rough as sandpaper spit a word in a foreign language and that finally bursts the fright holding me still. I fall into movement. Niall is upstairs, passed out in the guest room, but I can’t go to him—the intruder is out in the hallway. If I went out there, we’d both end up hurt. Or dead. If I get away I can find Yasmin and the Red. They’ll know what to do. They’ll protect Niall better than I can.

Acting on pure impulse, I slip my feet into shoes lined up by the door, pull the glass patio doors apart, and sprint across the garden into Almery Wood. An instant chill slips through my flimsy cardigan as it trails through the air behind me. Leaving my friend behind puts tears in my eyes but I blink them away. I’ll come back, I promise him, I’ll come back Niall, I swear. 

Ice has made the wood treacherous. My pumps slipping on the trail, I grab onto a desperate idea. I don’t know how Yasmin heard my voice before I knew her, when I never meant to speak, but if it worked by accident it has to work intentionally. I’ve spoken to her, mind to mind, so many times—even if I never made the first move.

Yasmin! I scream in my head. 

Her name rattles around my head, loud and aching, but I can’t tell the difference between talking to my girlfriend and shouting at myself. I fight to stay on my feet for an endless minute, the wood whipping past me, frozen branches cracking underfoot. My breath is visible as bursts of silver cloud with every pant that rushes from me. And no reply comes.

I howl Yasmin’s name repeatedly, but still there’s no connection, no response. The silence in my head makes the noise around me starker. Every little sound is threatening. Every dip of the branches is a Numen’s claw reaching for me.

My feet skid across a patch of solid water and I drop into a sharp tangle of shrubs face-first, skinning my hands and knees. Pain sinks its teeth into my right wrist, stealing a muffled cry from between clenched teeth. Throwing a frenzied look behind me, I scrape myself off the floor. Harsh knives of cold lance through my arms and legs. It takes three attempts to get my legs beneath me and all my will power to keep the tears pooled in my eyes and not down my cheeks.

Somewhere behind me a twig snaps. I spin, barely keeping my footing. What I see wrings a sob from my lips. Standing in the frame of two trees is a man, taller than any human should be. He’s at least seven and a half feet tall. And watching me. 

Smiling.

I throw myself back onto the trail and run with everything I have.

The skeletal branches above me become denser the nearer I get to the heart of Almery and I allow myself a shred of relief despite the sounds of pursuit getting closer. I’m nearing the pool, where the trail forks in three directions. Right will take me near Yasmin’s flat, left to Callaire East, and straight forward to Den Vale—to my aunt and uncle’s village. Two trails will take me to safety.

The dark canopy releases me and I swerve right, sloshing through the shallow stream to Yasmin. I’ll escape Almery, run to her flat, and when I find her we can go to the Academy. We’ll be safe there and they’ll come back with me to get Niall.

Made braver by the barest plan, I look over my shoulder to see how close the man is. But I’m alone on the path. Maybe he couldn’t cross the water? Not daring to question my luck for a second, I barrel down the slope towards safety. I must be coming to the other side of Almery but the trees should have grown sparser half a minute back. What if I’m lost?

I skid to a stop, flattening myself against a thick tree trunk, and I scream for Yasmin in my mind. My head pulses with the effort, which should mean it’s working. Magic and miracles take pain, don’t they? But still I hear no reply. Wouldn’t she respond if she could hear me? 

I cover my mouth with shaking fingers, trapping the cries inside. This is hopeless. At some point I’ve come off the trail and now I have no sure direction. And there’s no way to cry for help without drawing the man stalking me. Yasmin’s name echoes around my head. I push it out, into a void I must be imagining, praying some kind of Psychic satellite will pick me up. The situation might be hopeless but I’m too stubborn to give up.

I think of Yasmin, urging myself to be strong. Yasmin would be brave. She’d find her way to safety without the trail. 

I brush tears from my cheeks, furious they’re even there. I wish Yasmin was here. I’d feel so much safer with her beside me. I’d feel invincible. I picture the way she looks at me, like I’m a miracle. She makes me feel like a miracle, something I never thought possible, not with the funeral shroud of abandonment and resentment that wrapped around me when my mother left, choosing my perfect older sister over me. But lately I’ve felt different, like I could be important after all. Like I could be worth something. 

If I really am the girl Yasmin sees, I could be invincible. I could do this. I massage the stiffness from my wrist, though it does nothing for the pain, and straighten my shoulders. I’m not Legendary but I can find my way again. I’ve read more than a few articles on wilderness survival. All I have to do is trace my footprints back to the pool, and from there I can take the right trail and stay on it this time. Simple.

I step outside the cover of the sprawling tree—

A cold hand closes around my arm. I’m whirled around to face the tall man who chased me. My vision wavers. He has two heads. How can he have two heads? I blink until the image resolves into two people. The impossibly tall man and a woman I’ve never seen—silver haired, wrinkled, wearing an emerald robe and a wicked smile. At first glance she’s a kind grandmother. At second, she’s menacing and blood-stained. I jerk away on instinct but the man’s fingers circle my elbow, bruising.

The pain cuts through my dizziness, gifts me clarity, and anger rears its head. I was ready. I was going to rescue myself. 

I still am.

I struggle madly against the hold on me, making weapons of my elbows, venom of my spit.

“Sedate her,” the woman hisses. Her voice is nothing like a grandmother’s.

The man bares his teeth, each white and pointed. “What do you think I’m doing?” He dips his head and now all I see is the hazy wood around me, trees as tall as houses, and the old woman with her cruel smile and—bloody hands. 

Yasmin! I yell with heightened distress. They’re going to kill me! Yasmin! 

A sting spreads through my neck, just below my jaw, like a paper cut. It builds into searing, molten suffering. My thoughts are empty and redundant, so I open my mouth and howl. “Yasmin! Yasmin!”

The tall man steps away from me, wiping blood from his mouth. My blood.


His savage face is the last thing I see before Almery tilts and blackens.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

1 Signed paperback of The Dryad of Callaire (UK only!)

1 Ebook of The Beast of Callaire for every entrant!

Contest ends 16th August.

Leave your email address and preferred ebook format for your free ebook. Ebooks will be sent out in the week following the giveaway’s closing date. The winner of the signed paperback will be emailed by August 20^th and have two days to reply before another winner is selected. Non-UK entrants are not eligible for the paperback giveaway and will not be selected.

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Review: The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough

The Game of Love and Death

by Martha Brockenbrough

Published by Scholastic

Paperback (purchased)

YA, LGBT, historical fiction, romance, fantasy

Antony and Cleopatra. Helen of Troy and Paris. Romeo and Juliet. And now... Henry and Flora. 

For centuries Love and Death have chosen their players. They have set the rules, rolled the dice, and kept close, ready to influence, angling for supremacy. And Death has always won. Always.
Could there ever be one time, one place, one pair whose love would truly tip the balance? 

Meet Flora Saudade, an African-American girl who dreams of becoming the next Amelia Earhart by day and sings in the smoky jazz clubs of Seattle by night. Meet Henry Bishop, born a few blocks and a million worlds away, a white boy with his future assured—a wealthy adoptive family in the midst of the Great Depression, a college scholarship, and all the opportunities in the world seemingly available to him. 

The players have been chosen. The dice have been rolled. But when human beings make moves of their own, what happens next is anyone’s guess.

Love and Death were enigmas, and I fell in love with Ethan who was maybe the most intriguing character of the story. That's pretty much first thing you need to know about The Game of Love and Death; Love and Death are surprising at first and enigmas through whole story. Ethan, well, he's the precious one and he should be cherished. But Henry and Flora were quite dull and boring, and their love was neither passionate or heartbreaking as you would expect - especially since the previous players of the game consisted such enigmatic and passionate characters as Romeo & Juliet, Cleopatra & Antony, Helen & Paris (and pretty much every larger than life love stories). If the book would have been about Ethan, or only about Love and Death, it would have been wonderful, heartbreaking and absolutely brilliant. However, Henry and Flora's part dulled the book. I adored every chapter from Love, Death or Ethan's point of view, and just tolerated Henry's and Flora's. And there was minimal amount of flying, even though the cover and the start promised more. So if you're waiting for amazing flying things, there's not much of that there.

In the end, The Game of Love and Death was a mediocre read for me. The blurb, synopsis and the idea behind the story are brilliant. Some characters were almost genious. Brockenbrough have a solid, good writing style also, and there was structurally nothing wrong. Henry and Flora's love story was just flat and quite boring, and even with the historical setting in Seattle during 1930s, there still wasn't that spark a good romance needs. For me, it felt like Henry and Flora was forced to be this larger than life couple even though they didn't have spark or anything truly unique about them. Separately they were interesting enough as characters, but together they were dull. That's the only and major reason, why I didn't click with this book like I wanted to - it had potential to be great, maybe even mind-blowing, if the main couple would have lived up the expectations (or even had that spark).

I can recommend this to anyone who likes romance with historical setting with unique elements. And maybe others find a spark between Henry and Flora that I didn't. Brockenbrough does get a huge plus for all the diverse characters she had, that was wonderful.

3 of 5 stars

The Game of Love and Death on Goodreads.

Review: Betrayed by Jennifer Rush

Betrayed (Altered Saga, 1,5)
by Jennifer Rush
Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Ebook (purchased)
YA, novella

After leaving Anna, Sam, Cas, and Nick behind, Trev is on his own and under the watchful eye of the Branch once more. But where do Trev's loyalties really lie? Riley, Trev's overseer, is determined to find out.  

On Riley's command, Trev sets off on a mission to a small Wisconsin suburb. His order: locate and kill a seemingly innocent teen named Charlie. Trev soon learns, though, not everything is as it seems in this quiet town--most of all Charlie. 

Find out what Trev's been up to behind the scenes in this Altered Saga original short story.

Betrayed is a short novella from Trev's point of view after the events of Altered. I fell in love with Trev during Altered, and even though he made some bad choices, I always rooted for him and I do hope he gets redemption - more than anyone else, he deserves it. Trev's wise, he has interesting train of thought, he's thoughtful but also full of action. The best thing about him is that he doesn't act without thinking every aspect first, and he's the type to observe others, signs and things. It makes him cautious, but that's also why he survives. Betrayed confirms this, and adds more to his character.

The only bad thing in Betrayed is it's shortness. But it's also a good thing as it's a quick read before diving in to next installment (for me, Reborn is next). It gives insight of Trev's thoughts, regrets and most of all, choices he makes and the things that motivates him. I love to read novellas like that, so for me Betrayed was a really good read. Rush knows how to write action but Betrayed has shown that she does great character studies, too. I'm a huge fan of Altered saga and this was perfect for me - therefore I highly recommend everyone who likes the saga to read Betrayed.

4 of 5 stars

Betrayed on Goodreads.

Wrapping the Month: July Edition

What's greater way to start new month than taking a look at previous one?

July was a busy month in many ways. I worked a lot (six days per week), continued to go to gym every other day, and besides all that, I found two wonderful flatmates, a nice flat for us and did many other things relating to my upcoming move to Scotland. I even have flight ticket booked, and I can't wait for the actual move and getting to Scotland (29 days, guys!). Because of all that, I read less and blogging suffered too, but it was expected as I had to took care of practical things.

I didn't get any books either. Mostly because I'm on a ban before the move - I need to save some money, I don't have a lot of space in my luggage to take all of my books, and besides when I get to Scotland I can finally shop at Waterstone's and order books from Amazon and Book Depository a lot cheaper, so yeah.

July's reviews:

Trust the Focus (5 stars)

Painless (2 stars)

The Fault In Our Stars (4 stars)

Bomb (4 stars)

The Sleeper and the Spindle (4 stars)

I flew through Trust the Focus (by Megan Erickson) and finished it on the July 1st, which is absolutely the best way to start a month. After that, however, my reading space slowed majorly because I had to dedicate my time for looking for a flat, getting to know my new flatmates and everything else that surrounds my upcoming move. I still managed to read two review copies, Pretty Dark Nothing (by Heather L. Reid) and Bomb (by Sarah Mussi). The Sleeper and the Spindle was something I finished during one day so I was happy about that. July was a good month quality wise as I gave all of the four books I read either five or four stars.

I don't think I'll have a lot of time to read in August because I've two weeks of work left and I'll need to start cleaning my room and packing for the upcoming move. There's a few books I'm currently reading so I'm hoping to finish those but probably I won't start a lot of new ones.

Hugs,

Henna