Saturday, September 13, 2014

Review: Perception: A New Adult Anthology + Giveaway!

The world will never look the same…

There comes a defining moment in every young person's life that irrevocably shifts their point of view. For a new teacher who still compares herself to her students, it’s a missing girl and a false accusation that could cost her more than her career. For a young man who settles into a rut that not even his broken marriage can pull him out of, it’s a drifter’s gun to his head. For an idealistic college student, it’s her parents’ divorce pulling back the curtain on who they really are, shattering everything she thought she knew about love. And for a recovering addict who's not ready to change, it might just be an unhappy ending to her illicit affair.

In Perception, discover five captivating stories that explore what it means to be a new adult.

Description taken from Goodreads



My Review

My Boyfriend is a Senator by Linda Davis

This story really caught me off guard with it being surprisingly sad and heartwrenching.  I loved how it was told in third person, you really felt connected with the main character as if it were you. 

Right from the beginning I could tell that Taylor wanted some kind of approval and just wanted to tell someone the truth about her boyfriend and it definitely hits you like a ton of bricks when you read between the lines and realize what’s actually going on.

The very last line really got to me and sent shivers down my spine.

Very interesting story, 4/5 hearts


Missing by Mary Laufer

A page turner this book definitely was.  Holy crap, I could see this as a movie, it was so thrilling.  Or even a TV show ala The Killing.

The characters had a lot of depth and could easily have had a whole book written about them.  I was sucked in from the very beginning and had my mouth hanging open by the end of the book.

I felt for the characters and the suspense definitely had me very fidgety.

I want to know what happens, Mary! 

Great thriller and mystery, 4.5/5 hearts


The Outlaw by Scott C. Davis

This really didn’t hit me as hard as the first two did.  I was so pumped up from reading them that this was kind of a let down.  Where the first two could be a small snippet of a full fledged novel, this felt random and didn’t make much sense.

It was written well but I feel like I just couldn’t connect with the main character.  I could definitely sympathize with him but there just wasn’t enough for me to actually care about him.

I feel like if it had been a tad more realistic or if there was more to it, then I might have enjoyed it more.

A decent story that just fell flat, 2.5/5 hearts


Drive by Nealy Gihan

I was severely disappointed with this story.  Both the main characters were horrendous.  I just couldn’t believe that Trevor was in his thirties when he acted like he was seventeen.  Simona was okay but I felt like she had no depth.

I really thought that this book had promise when Simona was in a restroom and found a disturbing message on the stall door and was really excited about what was going to happen.  I was actually more excited about that than the actual plot and I thought that Nealy was somehow going to weave that into it but it just kind of hit a roadblock.

Another story that felt very random with little things that would have made the story great that are just thrown in and not developed at all or just don’t make sense when all is said and done.

Started out great but I was, unfortunately, left disappointed and completely unsatisfied, 3/5 hearts


The Talisman by Heather Hildenbrand

This one was very interesting and the only paranormal/supernatural story of the bunch.  I loved the talisman aspect and the Demi demons.

The religious aspect kind of turned me off of it though, if that hadn’t been a part of it or if it was just tweaked a bit then I would have fully enjoyed it.

I still really did enjoy it and wold love a full book about this world and how everything came to be.

Heather did a great job of developing a paranormal/supernatural story in such a short amount of time.

Interesting P/S story, 3.5/5 hearts


All in all, Perception was a great bind up of some very interesting stories that you will fly through.

Overall, 3.5 out of hearts


Also, here is a snippet from my favorite story, Missing:

Theresa continued to write pages full of fabrications, mostly sexual fantasies planted for my sake. There were several entries involving her seducing older men—not only Scott Miller, but also other guys at the high school, from the science teacher to the custodian. With a vibrant red gel pen, she wrote paragraph after paragraph describing her having intercourse with them in the old darkroom off the Yearbook room, in the science lab, in the custodian’s closet. It happened before school started, between classes, and after school. “They can’t resist me,” Theresa wrote. “I’m beautiful.” 



Giveaway!!



Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Release Day Blitz: Perception: A New Adult Anthology + Giveaway!



The world will never look the same…

There comes a defining moment in every young person's life that irrevocably shifts their point of view. For a new teacher who still compares herself to her students, it’s a missing girl and a false accusation that could cost her more than her career. For a young man who settles into a rut that not even his broken marriage can pull him out of, it’s a drifter’s gun to his head. For an idealistic college student, it’s her parents’ divorce pulling back the curtain on who they really are, shattering everything she thought she knew about love. And for a recovering addict who's not ready to change, it might just be an unhappy ending to her illicit affair.

In Perception, discover five captivating stories that explore what it means to be a new adult.

Description taken from Goodreads

Check out my review on Saturday the 13th! 






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Saturday, September 6, 2014

Review: Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper





A sweeping historical romance about a witch who foresees her own murder--and the one boy who can help change her future.

Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe at sea, but her mother has forced her into a magic-free world of proper manners and respectability. When Avery dreams she's to be murdered, she knows time is running out to unlock her magic and save herself.

Avery finds an unexpected ally in a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane--a sailor with magic of his own, who moves Avery in ways she never expected. Becoming a witch might stop her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers her magic requires a sacrifice she never prepared for

Description taken from Goodreads


My Review



What a gem this book was.  I was not expecting Salt & Storm at all.  I actually received it when I went to BookCon and I didn’t even get it myself.  I was sitting around waiting for a panel to start and these two women came up to me and asked if I wanted some books.  I almost laughed, because, honestly. 

give it to me gif photo:  tumblr_mad30lPykP1qegtrr.gif

But anyway, of course I took them.  One of them was Salt & Storm and another was a new one by Holly Black.  The name is escaping me right now.

Let me start out by saying that I have never read anything like this before, at all.  It is tragic yet beautiful. Kendall Kulper’s writing style is unbelievable and just another reason to love this book.  The story is so unique.  The use of magic was exquisite and well thought out.  Just the story of the magic itself and how it’s acquired is intricate and is a story all on its’ own.  The whole book just has so many layers and has so much depth.  I feel like I could read so many books about this, the history of each Roe witch would be such a pleasure to read about.  We didn’t get too much about each witch but we did get to learn about some of their ‘gifts’ which gives us just a taste of what this magic is all about and I want more.  Please, Kendall, can you write companion stories.  Pretty please?

Avery is our main character.  Holy friggens is she strong willed.  She does not give up, she makes tons of sacrifices, goes to Hell and back multiple times.  She is definitely a wonderful heroine that is ultimately relatable in the end.

The love interest is Tane, who is new to Avery’s little town.  He’s soft spoken and so gentle.  Loyal to a fault and definitely a fighter.

I love how they both know what they want and they both will go to the ends of the Earth to achieve their goals.

Avery’s grandmother is the Roe witch right now.  And she’s definitely an interesting character, I would love more of her story.

Now, Avery’s mother was someone that I loved to hate.  At first you think she’s a complete bitch but then you think she’s a little crazy and then it goes back to bitch.  You just don’t know what to think about her and I loved her and Avery’s interactions.  Extremely intense.  And I really appreciated the back story that we got of her as well.

Like I said before, I just loved learning about the history of the Roe witch, and how it’s a generational thing and each witch has a special ‘gift’.  I loved that aspect of the story.  I also found the whaling plotline interesting.  I really don’t like the idea of poaching but I can at least understand it because of the time period.  It was interesting to read how each whaler relied so heavily on the Roe witch to make charms and things to make their journey a successful one.  Talk about needy.

I really don’t want to go into too much detail because of spoilers, but the end was my favorite.  I hate not being able to say why, but I’ll just say that it is a shocker and does not follow any specific YA formula at all.  Kulper was not afraid to take risks  when it came to how she ended this book.

Also, I loved the hidden little messages that I found woven throughout the book:
Everything is not always what they seem at first.
Make sure you have both sides or all sides of a story before you make a life altering decision.
When one door closes another will open.
Don’t give up when all hope is lost.

Salt & Storm definitely hooks you and pulls you in right until the end and it will leave you completely heartbroken but still satisfied.  A strange combination, for sure, but just go ahead and read it and you will understand what I’m talking about.

If you enjoy stories about witchcraft or strong female characters then this book is definitely for you.  Go check it out on September 23, 2014!

I’m going to leave you guys with one of my favorite quotes from the book.  It relates to me on such a personal level it’s not even funny.
“There’s magic in talking aloud, like drawing out poison, like exposing a wound to air.” p 371 of ARC

 5 out of 5 hearts!


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