The Duke's Trumpet

Now, I don't usually post things like this, but I couldn't help it. This post is copied over from my personal writing blog, but I couldn't help but share it here as well, because truth is, I'm SO excited for her!

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It is my amazing friends release day, that friend is Claire E. Smith, you can find her in any of the links I've posted below.

Basically, I just wanted to say how proud I am of you for pushing through all your obstacles and publishing Time & Heart book one: The Duke's Trumpet.

You know how much I love Bas, and now I'm super excited that so many other people get to enjoy him and Mimi and the entire cast of characters you have created and worked on for so long.

If you want to check out The Duke's Trumpet, you can find it on Amazon HERE

The Duke's Trumpet from Amazon. com

Going from shy bookworm to butt-kicking avenger isn’t easy, but somebody’s gotta do it….

All Mimi Mockel wants to do is read books 24/7. With nothing else to do on New Years Eve, she pays a visit to the New York City Public Library only to find they are closed for the evening. Spying an open window, she sneaks in and finds a mysterious book that appears to beckon to her.

She soon discovers the book is a rogue time-traveler’s diary and learns she has been chosen as the Prodigy. Suddenly, life is more complicated than Mom grounding her from her favorite library. Now she and her thirteen-year-old-brother Albert are thrust in a world where heroes aren’t read about, they’re made. And it’s up to her to save the future of 4218 from the terrible King Noctria who is winning a worldwide civil war.

When she learns that their-time traveling host, Sebastian “Bas” Barkley, is a notorious time thief, Mimi urges him to return everything he’s stolen from history, beginning with the trumpet of the legendary Duke Ellington. But Bas will only agree if she will learn alchemy as the Prodigy.

Soon she discovers a new world completely different from her own. Along the way, Mimi befriends others who are fighting for the cause. But when the cruel Ambassador of Time, Captain Deatherage, murders one of her friends, suddenly becoming the Prodigy just got personal.

Claire can be found around the internet:
Blog
Website
Twitter

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Maybe these release date celebrations should become a blog feature? What do you think?

-Ashe

Hell's Game- Teresa Lo

Title: Hell’s Game
Author: Teresa Lo
Publisher: Stull Printing
Pages: 268
Format I read it in: Ebook

From the back of the book: On Halloween night in Deer Creek, Kansas, Jake Victor, Ashley and Ashton Gemini, and Kristin Grace convince Ronnie Smalls to meet them at the town cemetery, which local folklore has always rumored to be the Gateway to Hell. Their intention was only to scare him, but soon the wicked prank becomes actual horror as the group learns the Gateway is all too real. After demons snatch Ronnie and drag him to Hell, the terrified foursome vow to keep what they had seen a secret.
Two years later, the group receives a mysterious letter, an invite to play a high-stakes game in Hell. If they win, they release Ronnie’s soul as well as their own from eternal damnation. If they lose, they are stuck in Hell forever. Choosing to play, they face nightmare after nightmare as each level escalates in intensity and forces them to face the seven deadly sins.
Inspired by the legends of the Gateway to Hell in Stull, Kansas, Hell’s Game explores the cruelty that teenagers can inflict upon each other as well as the horrors that exist amongst mankind. It is a dark, action-packed young adult novel that will both scare its readers and make them question the true meaning of evil.

Review: At the beginning as I was reading this book I was very worried, sure that I had read this somewhere else but as I read on I realized why I felt this way. The game that they are playing kind of reminded me of the forbidden game by L.J Smith but as I read on the game was nowhere near the same. I love the book and I wish that there was more to it. I want to know what happens after the game! This book kept my attention and I finished it super fast. The opening was a little slow but as soon as they get their marks I was on the edge of my desk chair not able to read fast enough!

Rate: For the reasons I have stated above I give this book from 1, I couldn't finish it to 10, unputdownable, I rank this book a 7!

Reviewer: Bec

Enchanted Glass - Diana Wynne Jones

[first book review since public school! Advice and pointers are very welcome!]

Title: Enchanted Glass
Author: Diana Wynne Jones

Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages/Format: 332
Released: September 3^rd, 2010

From the Back: When Andrew Hope’s magician grandfather dies, he leaves his house and field-of-care to his grandson who spent much of his childhood at the house. Andrew has forgotten much of this, but he remembers the very strong-minded staff and the fact that his grandfather used to put the inedibly large vegetables on the roof of the shed, where they’d have vanished in the morning. He also remembers the very colourful stained glass window in the kitchen door, which he knows it is important to protect.
Into this mix comes young Aidan Cain, who turns up from the orphanage asking for safety. Exactly who he is and why he’s there is unclear, but a strong connection between the two becomes apparent.
There is a mystery to be solved, and nothing is as it appears to be. But nobody can solve the mystery, until they find out exactly what it is!

Review: I first read a book by DWJ last summer, and I’m certain she’s got me hooked for good. I’m sad that I found out about her a little too late, as she passed away in March last year. As of August 16^th she would have been 78, so to honor her memory, I hope I convince you to read this book! (or any book by her, for that matter) 

It has every great element that a book by her has; fantastic characters with unforgettable personalities, unique magic, and several plots that somehow mash together to suddenly make sense in the end. It’s set in a world that is similar to ours, except that it contains magic and many folk that the characters call “those that don’t use iron” (fairies and the like). In the beginning, I was a little confused about everything, because it bombarded me with names of things and I didn’t know what they were, and so many characters pop up. What I love so much about that is as the story progresses, all is explained in its own time and everything wraps up quite nicely. It has a great twist at the end, but not the kind of twist you are expecting! 

All in all, if you love fairies and magic, you will love this book! Added into the mix is beautiful countryside, some romance, an adorable dog that isn’t quite a dog, rainy weather, and giant vegetables. What’s not to love? 

If you enjoyed Spiderwick, definitely check it out.

Reviewer: Kirsten

Shadow Sight- E.J. Stevens

Title: Shadow Sight
Author: E. J Stevens

Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press
Pages: 145
Format I read it in: Ebook
Release Date: July 24, 2012

From the back of the book: Welcome to Harborsmouth, where monsters walk the streets unseen by humans…except those with second sight, like Ivy Granger.
Some things are best left unseen...

Ivy Granger's second sight is finally giving her life purpose. Ivy and her best friend Jinx may not be raking in the dough, but their psychic detective agency pays the bills--most of the time. Their only worry is the boredom of a slow day and the occasional crazy client--until a demon walks through their door.

Demons are never a good sign...

A demon attorney representing the water fae? Stranger things have happened. And things are about to get very, very strange as a bloodthirsty nightmare hunts the city of Harborsmouth.

There's blood in the water...

Kelpies have a reputation for eating humans. Unfortunately, Kelpies are the clients. When an Unseelie faerie this evil stalks the waterways of your city, you have to make hard choices.

The lesser of two evils...



Review: I loved the series ‘She Smells the Dead’ also by E. J, it is one of my favorite werewolf series I have read. So when I saw an e-mail about this new series… well my internet couldn’t load fast enough for me to send an e-mail. I wanted this series and I am very lucky to have been able to read it as an ARC. This is the first in the new Ivy Granger series.

I started this book before I had to run into work, so I only read the first page before I had to go. And boy I regret starting this book before I had to go because I found myself staring at the clock waiting until I got off so I could rush home and read the rest of the book. And that is exactly what I did. I finished this book the day I started reading it. It was filled with motion, no huge fighting action until the end, but motion where I wasn’t waiting for the next thing to happen. I never felt like there were filler chapters.

I wish there had been more romance in this book, that really would have sold this book for me, but the hint of romance that might be in the next book has left me waiting until I can get my hands on the next one.

This is a very different read from ‘She Smells the Dead’ but it is still an amazing read so if you liked SSTD I highly recommend you read this series as well.



Rate: Over all I give this book from 1, I couldn't finish it to 10, unputdownable, I rank this book an 9 ½ .


Reviewer: Bec

Beatifully Broken- Sherry Soule

Title: Beautifully Broken
Author: Sherry Soule

Publisher: Moonlight Publishing
Pages: 329 pages
Format I read it in: Ebook

Release date: Available now

From the back of the book: Thirteenth Daughter. Heritage Witch. Demon Slayer.

They say every town has its secrets, but that doesn’t even begin to describe Whispering Pines. The townsfolk are a superstitious lot and the mystical disappearance of a local teen has everyone murmuring about a centuries old witch’s curse.

When sixteen-year-old Shiloh Ravenwolf takes a summer job at Ravenhurst Manor, she discovers a ghost with an agenda. That’s where she meets the new town hottie, Trent Donovan. But Trent may be the next victim on the supernatural hit list, and Shiloh is the only person with the power to save him. Complicated much?

After receiving cryptic messages from a creepy wraith and frightening threats from a demon, Shiloh finally begins to understand the mysterious significance of the strange mark branded on her wrist. Now Shiloh must decide how much she's willing to sacrifice to protect the other teenagers in town.

Unfortunately, for Shiloh, not all ghosts want help crossing over. Some want vengeance.


Review: When I read the back blurb I was really into this book, not about vampires or wolves, yes witches are becoming another thing that when you walk into a book store that is all you see but I was just so happy to be getting a break from vampires that I couldn’t care if I was going from one overused topic to the next.
As I got into this book I was really hooked, I was a bit worried when the first few paragraphs reminded me of the book I had just read before it but was glad that that didn’t last very long. It was a good opening and I was really enjoying the read.
Enter Trent, sound super cute but when I’m reading a book with romance in it and I can’t believe the romance between the two characters it kind of ruins the story for me. I didn’t believe they really liked each other for a second, maybe on Shiloh’s part but certainly NOT on Trent’s.
Moving on from the romance that I don’t think was there, as we got closer to the ending I was getting more and more confused, when it came time to read the “big battle” at the end I didn’t know what was going on. I found that scene very hard for myself to picture which it again one of the main things I look for in a good book, being able to see what is being written about. None of that in the end. There was a rushed ‘gotta finish this book up’ in the last few pages that just left me unsatisfied.
Overall I found this book to be really good in some parts but other just left me not believing the story and others left me totally clueless! None the less I was still hooked enough that I read the whole book.

Rate: For the reasons I have stated above I give this book from 1, I couldn't finish it to 10, unputdownable, I rank this book a 4.

Reviewer: Bec

Legend of Witchtrod Roads- E. J Stevens

Title: Legend of Witchtrot Road
Author: E. J. Stevens


Publisher: Scared Oaks Press
Pages: 180
Format I read it in: Ebook
Release date: Available now


From the back of the book: Surviving agitated ghosts, irritated witches, angry werewolves, and the horrors of high school has never been so hard.

The night of Samhain may be behind them, but Yuki and her friends have only begun to face the challenges of their paranormal gifts. Tensions are rising--in the pack, at school, and within their tightly knit group of friends.

The tragic death of Wakefield High student Dylan Jacobs has emotions boiling over. The J-Team, Yuki's arch nemesis, have turned the entire football team against her. They claim that Yuki is a witch and blame her for the death of their fellow teammate. Will Yuki be able to solve the mystery of Dylan's death, and the legend of Witchtrot Road, before tempers flare and things turn violent?

Emma is the friend that Yuki turns to when things get tough, but she's been behaving strangely. Emma has been acting distant and seems to be coming down with a mysterious illness. What will Yuki and her friends do if their healer is truly sick?

Calvin has become Alpha and wants the best for his pack. He is a dedicated and compassionate leader willing to do anything for the good of his people, but will Cal be able to hold the pack together when a fiery, young werewolf comes seeking revenge?

Simon may still be a roguish playboy, but he is taking his role as Calvin's second in command deadly serious. Simon is prepared to do anything to defend his Alpha and his pack, but will he be willing to give all that up to avoid a battle within the pack?


Review: I was expecting so much from this book, really I was. I had loved the last two books in the series and had been super excited to read this book. But I found this book to not hold my attention the way the others had. I found that this one was not as attention grabbing or keeping as the other books and I was not enjoying this read. I forgot I had even read this book until I went through my e-mail list saw this one and began re-reading it thinking I hadn’t read it before. I got halfway through it went I finally realised that yes I had read it.
This book was not my favorite by E.J and I was extremely disappointed but yet I still loved Yuki and her character and her romance with Cal, and the other promised romances that I am sure may bud and blossom in the next book.


Rate: For the reasons I have stated above I give this book from 1, I couldn't finish it to 10, unputdownable, I rank this book a 6.


Reviewer: Bec

The Forest Of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan

Title: The Forest Of Hands and Teeth
Author: Carrie Ryan

Publisher: Random House
Pages/Format: Audio Book
Available: NOW

From the Back: In Mary's world, there are simple truths. 

The Sisterhood always knows best. 

The Guardians will protect and serve. 

The Unconsecrated will never relent. 

And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. 

But slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. 

Now she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?  [[From Carrieryan.com]]
Review: I actually have the paperback of this book sitting up on my shelf, and I'd tried to read it a few times and I'd chicken out. Because, hello zombies? And, me with an over active imagination there was no telling that was going to go right down nightmare road. But listening to the audio book, allowed me to focus less on the Unconsecrated (zombies) and more on the story--even though they are a major part of the story. I fell in love with the main character Mary, and how she is always seeming to crave more, even when she's gotten the guy she wants, she still has that dream of the ocean. It is that dream that pushes her forward throughout the entire novel.
There are times when my heart dropped into my stomach, and times when it was beating so fast that I didn't want to go to sleep until they'd gotten out of that situation. And you know what? the Unconsecrated didn't bother me as much as I thought they would.
I cannot wait to dive into Dead-Tossed Waves! Book 2.

Reviewer: Ashe

p.s. Have you checked out the trailer?  Because, it is awesome.