UPDATE

My update and My apologies

I have sadly had to step back in much of my reviewing in order to get my family through a very stressful year. The doctors started my son on testing for Epilepsy Surgery, we had no idea the roller coaster ride we were beginning with that appointment and the decision to see if our son was a candidate for surgery. Perhaps one can't prepare for these sorts of things and that is just the way it is. We began with the first test's. He had a PET, an MRI, a FMRI, 2 SPECS, a MEG which required another MRI a 3 channel one or something, he took tests with the Neuro-psychologist, who then ordered a WADA and of course he has had about a dozen EEG's and 100's of seizures while he was off his meds for 2 of our tests. This boy has been put through the ringer! We are now awaiting the surgical teams decision on if we go forward. Which means if he has surgery, it will be done in 2 parts, both requiring him to stay in the hospital during all of it (at the least 2 weeks), then home for recovery, we have been told to expect significant memory issues that could last up to 9 months after surgery! Which will prove a challenge for a 14 year old boy in 8th grade that is active and social. 

This is what my fall/winter looks like, so I post this here to let all authors, fellow bloggers, readers and anyone who follows me, that I am not gone, but I may not be reviewing as often as I have been known too until My boy is over his next hurdle in life. I ask for your amazing patience with me, any book I have committed to reading and reviewing, will get done. It just may not be as quickly as originally promised. Before I became a stressed out mom, I read a book a day...currently i have to fight to focus to read even one a week. So please please have patience and understanding with me. 

We are currently expecting a surgical date very near Christmas, which of course will alter things for our home as well. We hope that if he is to be at the hospital during the holiday we will be allowed to make it a very special day for him. He being my amazing trooper, shrugs his shoulder and says "it's ok mom, let's just get it done!"

#bookreview The High Priest's Daughter, By Katie Cross

The High Priest's Daughter 

By Katie Cross

~My Review~

5 Stars

Another great book by Katie Cross! The High Priest's Daughter will pick you up right where you left off in the previous book..and the story just flies from there! There is something magical about the way Katie writes, it leaves you wanting so much more of the story, but always has you reading at a speed that is insane just to see what is going to happen next! The character development is done so well, that you truly do love some characters and hate a few others.

Perhaps my favorite part of this book is the intense changes that you watch Bianca as well as her friends go through during this time. The experiences and choices they making are most certainly to be consider life changing and in the end a chance to grow and learn.

Katie Cross's Network series is my favorite series that I have read this year! If there is one series you don't want to miss out on, this is the one I recommend you picking up and getting lost in Bianca and friend's story and the wild things they see, experience and survive!



* You can find my review's of Katie's first two books here on the blog as well, I believe they were a mid-summer review post


Amazon Link

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01551B6P6?keywords=katie%20cross&qid=1446007407&ref_=sr_1_1&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

#bookreview Four By Zack Scott

Four 

By Zack Scott 

~My Review~

4 stars

Four is a take you by surprise Zombie story, it's most certainly a great zombie story, but takes you by surprise with all the crazy twists and turns that come with the story. Each main individual comes with so much depth and issues that you just want to shake them and remind them "THERE ARE ZOMBIES!!"

The four main characters are the only safe ones to become attached too, because it's quite evident that no one is really safe in this story...it only takes one bite.

This story is moderately gruesome (killing zombies and zombies killing people is always going to be gruesome) but as far as my zombie reads this year....there have been many, I would definitely add this to my top 5! It's a fun, fast read with loads of zombie slaying and lots of drama and even a decent amount of humor.

About the Book:

A tragic past. A destined reunion. A decaying hope.

In Southern California, four friends must face a haunting nightmare from high school in order to save the future of humanity. But will their personal conflicts get in the way? Battling for survival, these fated four will choose whether to follow a destined path or continue their dead lives, while the zombie apocalypse feeds them one cliche after another.

Amazon | Goodreads

Author Bio: 

Zack Scott is the author of THEIR DEADS LIVES, ONE PISSED OFF SHARK, and several short stories he wrote for the 2013 Flash Fiction Challenge, where he made it to the final round. Although he’s visited many areas in the world, Zack has lived in Southern California most of his life. He grew up in Los Angeles, attended undergrad at CSUCI in Ventura County, and completed law school down in sunny San Diego. More recently, he was living the startup life in Silicon Valley with the 500 Startups accelerator program. He is licensed to practice law in California, but more importantly he likes to hang his pants on his desk chair rather than his closet. When he’s not writing stories, Zack can be found in a never-ending wrestling match with his dog Leo or cooking pasta while wearing a Chargers apron.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY:

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#bookreview Mist on the Water

Mist on the Water

                                                 By Shea Berkley

Publication date: July 13th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Young Adult

Synopsis:
Long ago, in a far off land, there rose a tale as old as the earth.

As long as Ryne can remember, his parents told him to beware the nix in the lake. From the day he was born, the tale of the nix and how she demanded Ryne as her prize for setting his captured father free has defined Ryne’s life. No matter what he does, he can’t shed its curse…in everyone’s eyes, Ryne is doomed to die.

Nari is the only one who befriends Ryne, and loves him without fear despite the villagers’ relentless jeers. But when Ryne disappears beneath the cold waters of the lake, everyone believes he’s dead. Everyone except Nari.

Now it’s up to Nari to defy her family, her village and the legend of the nix to bring Ryne back from his watery prison or they’ll both be lost. forever

~My Review~

4 Stars

Ryne is born with a curse to carry around, a curse he spends much of his life questioning. Often thinking his parents laid this curse on his shoulders due to paranoia, or to protect him. The curse puts him as an outcast in the small village he lives in, making his hard life even harder with the stigma of the curse. The only one it doesn't put off is Nari, and Nari just may be the saving grace that Ryne needs to survive the curse. 

This was a fantastic YA with a fantasy twist book and I actually found myself really enjoying it. My heart hurt for the boy who's village shunned him, and I loved that Nari was able to not only see past that, but so much more. 

#bookreview Havoc Rising By Brian S. Leon

BOOK REVIEW!!! 

~My Review~

4.5 Stars

This was a fantastic book, with every mythical creature you can think of and then add a few more just to be safe! Steve Dore is a fishing guide and appears to be your average joe, but what you don't know is that he is a legendary warrior and thousands of years old, fighting to keep human's safe from being's that are evil and not of this world. The story of Havoc is one where Steve aka Diomedes Tydides who works for Athena is tasked to find a cup that was stolen from a museum. What sounds like a simple tasks leads him into dangerous places with being so frightening, I personally would never want to meet. The story that follows is action packed and literally kept me turning the pages wondering how he would get out of the next bit of trouble. I loved the character development and truly loved this story. It had a bit of everything in it to make it a great fantasy story.

#bookreview Skinshifter By Alycia Christine

About the Book:

Skinshifters are a curse. The Asheken deadwalkers proved that fact when they used skinshifters to spy against the Sylvan races during the Second War of Ages. Now, after three centuries of peace, the deadwalkers have found a secret way back onto the Sylvan Continent and this time they seek not just to conquer their enemies, but to enslave them body and soul.

When the Feliconas Clan suffers the deadwalkers’ first raid, one werecat—a skinshifter who has concealed her abilities—survives the massacre. Even as Katja struggles with her grief and guilt over her murdered kin, she must unite with other Sylvan refugees to defeat the deadwalkers before they can butcher and defile the other races. But can this skinshifter trust her newfound allies or will their secrets prove even more treacherous than her own?

“As involved as it is vividly eloquent, Alycia Christine’s Skinshifter…is fueled by engagingly twisted fantasy elements, vivid imagery, appealing characters, rousing adventure and terse storytelling.” –Bestsellers World

“Action is well done, tension is wonderfully detailed and maintained throughout, and fantasy readers will find in Katja an appealing, believable character whose quest and concerns drive a story line that is vivid, accessible, and involving.” –D. Donovan, Senior eBook Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

Amazon | Smashwords | B&N

~My Review~
4.5 stars

Book 1 in the Promising Sylvan Cycle series, and boy does this series begin well! It's a very in-depth story with complex character development and creators that will give you the shiver's at night! Skinshifter is a great beginning to a series that promises to only get better as it continues. This is a fantasy/sci-fi story that is written well for most age groups and I would consider appropriate for above 13 and over. 

Katja is a skinshifter that hid what she was from her clan for years for fear that she would be banished from the only home she knew, when one night deadwalkers raid her village and she finds herself on the run. This is when she meets Lauraisha a princess who is also on the run but for a very different reason. Regardless of their vast difference's they bond over their shared journey's, a bond which only grows stronger as the story goes along. 

Katja and Lauraish are tasked with seeking help regardless of the dangers their journey presents to them and together they seek to fulfill the request. Leading them on the biggest adventure of their life. 

Skinshifter gives you a taste of a vast and amazing fantasy world with character's you can imagine ever meeting and some you hope never too. This was a great read and I look forward to seeing what the author comes up with next! 

*I peeked and looked this book is currently 99 cents on Amazon and free on Amazon unlimited! 

About the Author:

Alycia Christine grew up near the dusty cotton fields of Lubbock, Texas. She fell in love with fantasy and science fiction stories when her father first read Gordon R. Dickson’s THE DRAGON AND THE GEORGE and Robert A. Heinlein’s HAVE SPACESUIT—WILL TRAVEL to her at age ten. Her love-affair with fiction deepened when Alycia took a creative writing course while attending Texas A&M University. After that class, she was hooked as a writer for life. Her subsequent B.S. degree in agricultural journalism not only helped to hone Alycia’s skills with a pen, but also with a camera. Today she uses her skills as a photographer to capture the beauty of the world around her and add additional perspective to her fiction and nonfiction writing. Find her at http://www.alyciachristine.com.

Website | Twitter @AlyciaCZS | Facebook

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#bookreview Children of Lightning By Annie K. Wong

Children of Lightning 

by Annie K. Wong

~My Review~

3.5 stars

Children of Lightning is the first book of a new series. It is a Fantasy story and quite different from most you might read in this category. I struggled to enjoy the book for the first part, I am not sure why, I just wasn't digging it. But at about 40 percent I really starting digging it. Writhren Hollow the warrior is the main character, who until she discovers her rightful name of Writhren seems to really stuggle with her identity and purpose. She is from an all female clan who have a deal with the Ophidians to be able to continue to produce children. Of course with that the deal comes a price and it is steep.

There is a lot of depth to this story, and yes there were a few parts I felt a little lost on, or maybe just disappointed. But for the most part the story was great, I am always up for finding a new spin on the fantasy and I believe the author is headed in the right direction with this new series. 

About the book: 

Publication date: September 27th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:
Secrets beget secrets. The curse that befell the Hollows clan has left them incapable of producing male offspring. To extend their bloodline, they have formed a covenant with the serpentine Ophidians, who give them children. In return, the Hollows must keep these monstrous creatures well fed, though the details of the procurement are so abominable that the truth is never revealed to the other clans. In their homeland of Matikki, they live like outcasts.

Through a series of chance discoveries, the secrets of the ancient curse unfold before a warrior named Writhren Hollow. Is her purely female clan the result of a lapse of divine providence, or are the Hollows themselves victims of an enslavement scheme?

If Writhren frees her clan from the covenant, she risks the wrath of the Ophidians and the future of her bloodline. If she keeps the truth of the curse to herself, she is a traitor to her own kind. Either way, she will suffer for what she must do.

This is not a story of redemption, but regret. This is Writhren’s story.

#bookreview City of Roses by Donovan Pruitt

City of Roses

By Donovan Pruitt

~My Review~

3.5 stars

City of Roses is a shorter story, more like a Novella with an ending that leaves you believing there will be more to come. 

Alex after an accident out on a very wooded road wakes up confused and lost as to where he is. He somehow stumbled into what one could only describe as an alternate world. A world where evil lives in the corner and the village he finds himself in is forced to battle the evil. 

This was a weird book, but very interesting. It talks about a tradegy of Chernobyl which I do not know anything about, and perhaps more backstory on that would help me to understand the story better. It also seems to be set in Ukraine, the location seemed to be lost on me when reading it and I was simply unsure where it might be set in. 

The story while short was a good read and I knowing there is more to come I would probably delve into what is to follow and see how it goes from there. 

This leaves my review at a pretty neutral place as I neither loved nor hated it...I more felt like I needed more to be able to base my review on. 

About the book:
A young man ventures to his lost love’s childhood home in the abandoned city of Pripyat, Ukraine. When a sudden accident puts him off-course, he awakes to discover a lively and vibrant culture living in a nearby village and a woman who reignites his heart. But something sinister lurks in the shadows, and he must face the terror and help defend the village from evil before it is lost forever. Go beyond the tragedy of Chernobyl and discover the magic in the City of Roses.

About the Author:
Donovan Pruitt has a passion for science fiction and fantasy, especially those titles that trend toward young and new adult storytelling. City of Roses was his first standalone book as an indie author, though he has also written for video games and was previously published as a co-author in the fantasy genre. You can visit him online at www.KalaEmpire.com or join the discussion on Twitter @KalaEmpire.

My Amazon book reviews are available here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2BE15IF4S23I1