marți, 6 august 2013

Sabrina's Review: High Witch by Mona Hanna

The book contains spoilers!

English

I received this book free from the author in exchange of a honest review. Thank you, Mona!

Review

Brayden dreams about a beautiful girl for thirty days, until that girl appears and meets him. But, soon, he discovers that she's a High Witch, so she needs to go through 'The Test', a test where she has to kill the person she loves. But Brayden gets too attached to Ariel, the High Witch, and he realizes he is the person who has to be killed in order for Ariel to survive. But Ariel knows that love always win. And Brayden will find out too.

My rating: 4/5

My opinion

'High Witch' was a very intriguing and unique novel. My favourite character is Brayden, because he was smart and helpful, but Ariel was the protagonist and she managed to save Brayden and herself in a dangerous battle between good and evil. Ariel was strong and she learned quickly how to use her power. properly. The story was original, but I had two major problems with it; first, the insta-love. Brayden and Ariel's relationship seemed rushed and totally predictable. And than brings me to my second problem, the fact that the entire book was predictable. I knew from the very begining what was going to happen and I would have preffered a different ending, maybe a sad one. But I hope that the second book is better and I'm looking forward to reading it. I recommend this book, it was a short and fun read!

And look at that beautiful cover!


Cartea contine spoilere!

Romana

Recenzie

Brayden a avut vise despre o fata frumoasa timp de treizeci de zile, pana ca acea fata sa apara si sa-l intalneasca. Insa, in curand acesta descopera ca este o 'High Witch', asa ca trebuie sa treaca printr-un test in care ea este nevoita sa-l omoare pe omul la care tine. Insa Brayden se atasaza prea mult de Ariel, vrajitoarea, si realizeaza ca el este cel care trebuie sa fie omorat pentru ca Ariel sa supravietuiasca. Insa Ariel stie ca iubirea castiga mereu. Si Brayden va afla si el acest lucru.

Nota mea: 4/5

Parerea mea

'High Witch' a fost o carte foarte intriganta si unica. Personajul meu preferat e Brayden, pentru ca a fost destept si a ajutat-o pe vrajitoare, insa Ariel a fost protagonista si a reusit sa-i salveze pe Brayden si pe ea intr-o batalie periculosa dintre bine si rau. Ariel a fost puternica si a invatat repede cum sa-si foloseasca puterea cum trebuie. Povestea a fost originala, insa am avut doua mari probleme; in primul rand, insta-love. Relatia dintre Brayden si Ariel a parut grabita si total previzibila. Am stiu chiar de la inceput ce urmeaza sa se intample si as fi preferat un sfarsit diferit, boate unul trist. Insa sper ca a doua carte este mai buna si abia astept sa o citesc. Recomand aceasta carte, este o lectura scurta si distractiva!

sâmbătă, 6 aprilie 2013

Blog Tour: Terra's Wrath by Meaka Kyel, Review&International Giveaway!


Terra's Wrath,  by Meaka Kyel

Paperback, 366 pages
Published January 15th 2013 by Mireille Chester
ISBN: 1481893491 (ISBN13: 9781481893497)
edition language: English
original title: Angered Seasons

Description:

"Get on with it!" Max paled.
The shop shook with a sudden burst of lightning and the ensuing thunder.
The man looked up to the ceiling. "Your mother knows I'm talking to you. She's very upset. Max, please. You need to hide."


Freak storms, changing climates... they're all proof that global warming is starting to change our planet. It was only a matter of time before Mother Nature got upset with the damage we were causing. What we never could have anticipated, was how she was planning to get rid of her problem.



My review: 
I must say that I was a little sceptical at the beginning, when I started reading this book, because a book with zombies wasn't exactly what I was planning to read, let's just say zombies aren't my favorite type of supernatural creature. :D 

Yet, I decided to give it a try, and I don't regret it. At all, because now, after reading it, this book is definitely one of my favorites. :D To my surprise, it was an interesting read, with  loveable, new characters and an interesting story. 
 
This novel is written from Gabby's POV, one of the main characters. Gabby lives with her best  friend Lane, and nothing seems to ruin their friendship, not even some episodes of jealousy, more or less visible,  from Lane's girlfriend and Gabby's boyfriend.   

“This whole arrangement with you and Lane, it’s weird. You’re not kids anymore. I can put up with your choice of livelihood. Hell, I can even get used to the fact that you refuse to do yourself up in the morning before I wake up when you spend the night.” He paused at my frown. “But I won’t play second place man in a woman’s life. If you want to have any chance with me, you’re going to have to leave him. Move out; get your own place. Just quit having him around all the time.”

Gabby's birthday represents the intrigue of the novel, at the same time the border between one world and another. Between the world everyone thought to be normal, which it was a little taken for granted, and between the apocaliptic world, messy, dangerous, and lived by some scary, new creatures: zombies. This kind of zombie has an interesting story behind, and you'll hear(actually, you'll read :D ) a lot about their yellow creepy eyes.

“I’m scared, Lane.” I let him pull me to his chest and closed my eyes as his arms wrapped around me.

“We’ll be ok.”


Crossing this border means getting to live a whole another life for Gabby and Lane, they must face with a zombie apocalypse that no one ever saw coming. They must survive to zombie attacks, and manage to stay alive, safe and sound, while they have to find food, shelter, clothes, and things they need in order to survive.

“This isn’t one of those Zombie movies. We’re not going to find some weird person with a key to the end of this epidemic. If anything, we’re probably bunched in with those that are the first to die.”
  

My opinion:
I really loved this book, I enjoyed reading it, especially after midnight, when even the background helps it look much more scarier (ha ha :D ) In the end, it's a good book, with a lot of intense moments, good action and a bit of romance, that makes this book even tastier.  And as a plus, I must mention that I loved how the characters were built, they look real, they show intelligence, simplicity and spontaneity, and I liked that about them. Meaka wrote a good book, and I totally recommend it! ;)

Rating: 5/5 (5 out of 5)

About Meaka Kyel:

There's not much about me to tell you other than I love epic and supernatural worlds. All things out of the ordinary get my heart beating senseless and if there's a sexy connection involved then all the better.
I love to write and make up worlds.


Where you can find her:


 
 And yeah, Mother Nature can be a bitch... :D ;)


International Giveaway!!!


Meaka will give away to one lucky winner an e-copy of Terra's Wrath and a swag pack!!!
(includes an 8x10 poster, a book mark, and a postcard)

All you have to do is to write your full name and your email in a comment!

Good luck to everyone! :D 
 

vineri, 5 aprilie 2013

Book Tour: Shadows of the Rose, by Annette Gisby & GIVEAWAY!!!





Author: Annette Gisby
Genre: Multiple Genres including: Historical, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Paranormal and Erotica
Publisher: LuLu Publishing/Paperback Smashwords (ebook)
Date Published: November 2012
ISBN: (paperback) 9781291197846
ISBN: (Ebook) 9781301379989
Age Group: Adult
Word Count: 62,000
Cover Artist: Claudia McKinney http://www.phatpuppyart.com



Book Description

Shadows of the Rose is a varied collections of tales, taking place in various times, various places from the witch trials of past centuries to the future in time and space. This collection also features the two recent short stories, The Prince's Guard and Of Pets and Pleasures, which are also available as separate ebooks.



The Witch Hunter - a young girl is accused of sorcery and the witch hunter sent to condemn her is not as he seems...


Baby Blues - set in a future where family planning is controlled by the state and it is illegal to make love...

Free Falling - some friendly aliens have found the cure for most of human diseases, except for one--the one you have...

The Glass Guitar - Meg thinks a haunted guitar might be just the present for her musician boyfriend's birthday...

Shadows of the Rose - a lovers' tryst in a ruined abbey, but there is something not quite right - what's that there, hidden beneath the shadows of the rose?
 



Author Bio:

Annette Gisby grew up in a small town in Northern Ireland, moving to London when she was seventeen. She writes in multiple genres and styles, anything from romance to thriller or erotica to horror, even both at the same time.
When not writing, she enjoys reading, cinema, theatre and travelling the world despite getting travel sick on most forms of transport., even a bicycle. Sometimes you might find her playing Dragon Quest or The Sims computer games or watching Japanese Anime.
 She lives in Hampshire with her husband, a collection of porcelain dolls, cuddly toys and enough books to fill a library. It's diminishing gradually since the advent of ebooks, but still has a long way to go.

 

EXCERPT: 
(from short story The Prince's Guard)

Prince Dashan surveyed himself in the looking-glass, turning this way and that to see if
the disguise would hold out. If he’d paid more attention to his magical arts studies, he
could probably have used glamour, but he didn’t know any of the more complex
incantations, so he had to rely on more old-fashioned methods. He’d dusted his fair hair
and face with ash from the fire, although there wasn’t much he could do about the bright
blue hue of his eyes, he just hoped with the hood of his cloak drawn over his head and the
dirt on his face it would be enough.
The leather trousers and jerkin he wore were grimy with dirt and creased with age, so
much so that their colour was indeterminate. A rough, home-spun shirt and a pair of
scuffed brown leather boots completed his ensemble.
“How do I look?” Dashan turned to his little brother, who was staring at him, mouth
agape and eyes agog at Dashan’s transformation from spoiled prince to peasant in such a
short space of time.
“You’re not really sneaking out tonight, are you?” asked Aniel. “What if Captain Ryland
catches you again? Father won’t be happy with you.”
“I’ve no intention of getting caught this time. Why do you think I’m wearing this
disguise?” Dashan’s face darkened as he thought of Captain Ryland. Just because he was
captain of the King’s men-at-arms, he seemed to think that meant that he was the boss of
the princes too. Officially, he was Captain of the Guards, unofficially he was Dashan’s
bodyguard and Dashan railed at that fact. Everywhere he turned, there was Ryland
getting in his way and preventing him from having any fun. Dashan couldn’t remember
the last time he’d seen his friends or even visited a tavern without Ryland tagging along
or turning up. He put a pall on everything, like a mourner mistakenly turning up for a
wedding feast rather than a funeral.
“What about the Alradai? If there are any of their spies about, you could be in serious
trouble. That’s why Father wanted you to have a bodyguard in the first place. You could
start an international incident if you get kidnapped. The Alradai would love to have the
crown prince as a hostage. They’d like nothing better for us to be at war again.”
“No one’s going to know I’m a prince,” said Dashan, frowning. “I’m just an ordinary
peasant out to enjoy an evening at the tavern.”
“And maybe a wench or two, eh?” Aniel winked at him.
“Maybe,” Dashan agreed, although he knew he was lying to himself and his brother. For
a long while he’d suspected that the female form wasn’t where his interest lay. Instead of
spying on the maids like his brothers sometimes did, Dashan was often to be found
watching the soldiers and men-at-arms at their drills. He much preferred it in the summer
when they would remove their armour and shirts, practicing their arms in little more than
their kilts. It was strong, firm chests Dashan dreamed of, not flowery scents and softness.
He wanted someone strong, someone forceful, someone so passionate that they forgot he
was a prince and just ravished him. The trouble was that the only person he could
imagine being as forceful as that was Ryland. Dashan scowled, he doubted Ryland had a
passionate bone in his body. He was just annoying. Dashan couldn’t wait to be rid of him.
Ryland riled him like no one else could.
No one thought it odd that the crown prince spent so much in the men’s company, after
all once he was king, they would be his men to command and his father just thought he
was being friendly to the men who would serve him. The trouble was, Dashan wanted to
be more than friendly. He wanted much more, but the castle was a hotbed of gossip, so
there was no one he could approach without word of it getting back to his father. He’d
heard that in the lower city there were places you could go to, pleasure houses that
catered to every patron’s whim, male or female.
Dashan knew what he wanted and tonight he was going to get it.


Shadows of The Rose “Buy”Links




Giveaway!!!
Annette will be giving away 5 ebook Copies as well as 1 printed copy to 6 lucky Winners: 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Tour organizer: