Tynga's Reviews

Winterblaze by Kristen Callihan

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Fri, 24 May 2013 03:15:01 PDT

Winterblaze by Kristen Callihan

Book Stats:
Genre: Paranormal historical romance
Reading level: Adult
Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Forever
Release date: February 26, 2013

Series: Darkest London #3

Source: Personal shelf

Reviewed by: Tynga

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Once blissfully in love . . .
Poppy Lane is keeping secrets. Her powerful gift has earned her membership in the Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals, but she must keep both her ability and her alliance with the Society from her husband, Winston. Yet when Winston is brutally attacked by a werewolf, Poppy's secrets are revealed, leaving Winston's trust in her as broken as his body. Now Poppy will do anything to win back his affections . . .

Their relationship is now put to the ultimate test.
Winston Lane soon regains his physical strength but his face and heart still bear the scars of the vicious attack. Drawn into the darkest depths of London, Winston must fight an evil demon that wants to take away the last hope of reconciliation with his wife. As a former police inspector, Winston has intelligence and logic on his side. But it will take the strength of Poppy's love for him to defeat the forces that threaten to tear them apart.

Poppy has been weighted down by responsibilities since a very early age, forced to lie to her family time and again. Winston always prided himself in his job as an inspector and ran off on Poppy when he realized she’s been lying to him the whole 14 years they’ve been married. Talk about a talented inspector… A demon is now after him and they must put their differences aside if they want to survive.

Have you ever read a paranormal romance where the two heroes have been married for over a decade? I thought so… neither did I! I thoroughly enjoyed that uniqueness and I hope more authors will dare featuring couples that haven’t just met and are taken over by an inexplicable passion.

The main plotline surrounds a quest to destroy a demon, but the romance aspect was my favourite part. I love how we follow both heroes as they try to deal with their recent break-up, both of them still in love with the other, but not sure they can overcome the lies and hurt feelings. Their strong desire is obvious to us, yet they are completely oblivious to each other, miss-interpreting every signal. Time and again I was torn between laughter, desire to comfort them and utter frustration at their foolishness. Their story was a real rollercoaster and I want a second ride!

We met Poppy and Winston in the previous two books, and Poppy had always been my least favourite of the three sisters, but I came to appreciate her strength in this novel. She’s not a typical beauty but her curvy figure and her mane of red hair is Win’s undoing. I loved how he had eyes only for her from the very start. Winston didn’t really catch my attention in the first two books either, and now I feel like re-reading them again now that I have a new appreciation for the man. He is strong and determined but what I loved best was his outmost trust in Poppy in every aspect of their lives.

Kristen Callihan alternated past present to whole novel, switching between Win and Poppy’s current issues and their early beginnings. We get to witness their meeting, first dates, his proposal, their wedding and all kind of amazing tidbits that built their relationship overtime. And let me tell you, I LOVED it. I particularly liked that she inserted those past moments at just the right time in the plot to have the biggest impact. It was sheer genius.

The conclusion utterly surprised me. I never saw the blow coming and I never imagined the heroes to wrap things up that way. I was really pleased with it all and I hope we’ll see more in the next novel, featuring Mr. Talent and Mary Chase, two secondary characters featured this time around. I came to like them and I have great hopes for them!

Winterblaze was powerful and different from other paranormal romance out there and I strongly suggest you give this series a try. You don’t have to read the previous books, but I would suggest you do if you want to grasp the depth of the main characters break-up.

Read an Excerpt

The Elite by Kiera Cass

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:11 PDT

The Elite by Kiera Cass

Book stats:
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardback: 323 pages
Genre: Dystopian
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release date: April 23, 2013

Series: The Selection, #2

Source: Won

Reviewed by: Helen

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

Guys, I can't even begin to explain how much I loved this book. The Elite was so much more than I was expecting. Knowing it is the 2nd book in a trilogy, I admit, I had my doubts. I've never been very good friends with all the 'Book 2's out there. More than anything, I've been let down by them time and time again and left feeling as though they were placeholders for the action I really wanted to get to in Book 3.

Thankfully, the same is not so with The Elite! The Elite delivered everything I could have asked for and more. Right where we left her at the end of The Selection, America is still torn between Maxon and Aspen, and doubting her ability to lead the nation that has treated her so poorly. As with the first book, the first two-thirds of the book are mainly dedicated to setting up for the ending. It may seem slowly paced to some, but the characters really shined even more in The Elite, and made the time fly by. We get to see much more of the back-story behind the other girls still remaining in the palace, and learn more about their individual relationships with Maxon as well.

If you weren't a fan of The Selection, I could easily see how this slow and steady type of pacing might ward you off from The Elite. Personally, I love the pacing and the way that the plot seems to unwind around you without you ever really noticing until suddenly your heart is pounding and you can't bear to put the book down.

I also loved getting a bit more history on the country of Illea itself, and the people that built it. I could have done with even more information on this one - but it was enough to keep me invested and feeling like I had a good idea of how things had come about in the country's early years. We don't get a whole lot of information about why the country is constantly at war, or how things are developing on the outside, but I have some theories of my own. In the interest of not having spoilers, I'll keep them to myself for now, but I absolutely cannot wait for The One to come out so I can find out if I'm right!

There were times while reading that I was definitely frustrated with America's conflicting emotions. I kept wanting her to make a choice and be honest with everyone involved. But even still, something about this story and these characters keeps me up at night fan-girling. I completely switched teams about halfway through this book. And then about twenty pages later, I switched back… but then I came down firmly on Team Maxon. Woo! Now, if only the third book, The One could get here quickly!

Read an excerpt

Daring You to Read... Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Thu, 23 May 2013 03:07:00 PDT

For my first DYTR post, I'm daring you to read Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

If you haven't gotten your hands on this one yet, then you're way behind.

Just kidding!

Mostly.

But, really. You need to read it.

Obsidian is the first book in the Lux series - a dramatic and somehow addicting series about a race of aliens called the Luxen and their interactions with the humans around them. As well as the troubles they face with the human government.

I honestly didn't expect to enjoy Obsidian as much as I did - it was one of those books that I've seen floating around, but never really grabbed my attention very much. But after reading so many glowing reviews, I had to give it a shot.

Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don't kill him first, that is.

Don't let the synopsis fool you - though it may not sound like a heart-pounding ride of twists and turns, the characters in this one will definitely enchant you. The interactions between Daemon and Katy are addictive. The way they fight and bicker with each other is not only hilarious, but totally authentic too. By the end, you'll have a total mental picture of these two - and I guarantee, you'll be rooting for them.

Here's a great quote that more or less sums up the first 50% of Daemon and Katy's relationship:

“My palms itched to have a close encounter of the bitch-slap kind with his face.” - Katy

Obsidian is a fantastic opening book to what has become one of my favorite series! With plenty of humor and a cast of characters that will come to feel like family, I dare you to give Obsidian a try!
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Read an excerpt

Daring You To Read is a weekly feature here on Tynga’s Reviews where we dare you to read some of our favorite older releases (at least 6 months old). All the books/series we choose to feature are titles we adored and think you should give them a shot! We think it’s a super awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!
You've already read the book? Let’s us know what you thought! You are accepting the dare? We’d love to know! Have a dare of your own? Leave a comment ^^

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

noreply@blogger.com (Lili) — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:30:03 PDT

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Book stats:
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 544 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: October 23, 2013

Series: The Evolution of Mara Dyer #2

Source: Personal Shelf

Reviewed by: Lili

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.

She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.

They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.

She’s wrong.

Can I just begin by saying that this series has the most hypnotizing of covers? If I didn’t love the series as much as I clearly do, I’d probably still buy the books just to display these gorgeously dark and intriguing covers on my shelves. But that’s beside the point. I was very excited to get back into this world. I missed the creepiness, the hallucinations and the paranoia that is Mara’s life. I don’t think I’ve come across an author who can tackle the concept of insanity just as well as Michelle Hodkin, and I absolutely love her for continuously rocking my world with this psychological thriller/horror series. I absolutely never know what is about to happen next.

Long ago, the prequel to this lovely book, THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER, was actually the first ever review I posted for Tynga’s Reviews. It earned a supremely perfect rating because its darkness, its grittiness, its uniqueness that left me wanting more was all incredibly amazing. So, clearly, I had high hopes for this one. While I am happy to report that Hodkin does not suffer from sequel syndrome, I must admit that I don’t think this sequel topped the prequel. While Hodkin can still take me for a roller coaster ride with her amazing and unseen plot lines, she had me flipping the pages at a rapid fire speed for book one and, at times, I found myself closing this book to go for a walk. I’m not even kidding, it actually rained on me on my way home. I had a mini heart attack thinking I suddenly inherited Mara’s consistently terrible luck.

I think that this novel was somewhat slow for me in comparison to book one simply because Mara is now in an asylum. Well, not really, she’s actually in an outpatient program on the brink of being thrown into an asylum. Granted, creepy things continued to happen that made my skin crawl, but this was a repetitive plot line to me. She’d make some progress than take a step back. She’d make more progress than an event in her life forced her to take a step back. There was this constant distrust of her because she once hallucinated. And seeing her internal monologue was draining because of how emotionally drained she was. She was fighting to be heard and nobody believed her. There was lie after lie only for her to disagree in her head. And while I am wholeheartedly on Mara’s side, the repetitive aspect of this novel bored me occasionally.

But this novel was truly very well written. I can honestly say that the repetitiveness of Mara’s problems bugged me in ways that it did not bug most people--probably because a huge pet peeve of mine inherited from my father is indecision and that pet peeve is still existent when it comes to bookish characters. Every other aspect of the novel blew me away. Again, I never saw any of the plot twists coming and, trust me, they were plentiful and incredibly unexpected. And the characterization was strong. There was a particularly touching scene where Daniel accompanied Mara to family therapy that tugged at my heartstrings because I’ve loved how his character has developed in this novel. He’s an amazing older brother. And, of course, there’s Noah--arguably one of the sexiest and thoughtful leading men in young adult literature these days. We were able to glimpse a little more of Noah’s thought processes and learn more about his past, which revealed a darker side to him. His theories about his own abilities and Mara’s were a huge focus of the plot this time around because, rather unexpectedly, they realized that they just might not be alone.

All in all, I say that Hodkin is an author that I can never get sick of and I still highly suggest this series to anyone willing to read a gritty romance dealing with insanity. It’ll make your skin crawl in the most amazing way, and that’s saying something because I absolutely hate your average horror novel and refuse to even pick them up. It’s also not heavy on the fantasy though the entirety of Mara’s insanity developing from her believed ability to control things with her mind is a fantasy novel about superhuman abilities. My only qualms was Mara’s indecisiveness and the unrealistic aspects of Noah having so much money. Sure, he can bribe anyone, but some of his dates with Mara had me rolling my eyes because it’s just so unbelievable. With that being said, I’d say read this book just for Noah’s delicious complexity alone. The final novel in this series, THE RETRIBUTION OF MARA DYER, is the last novel in this trilogy releasing in the Fall and I am anticipating it greatly.

Read an Excerpt

"When I'm not writing" with Gabrielle Bisset + giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:08 PDT

This week we're welcoming indie author Gabrielle Bisset to Tynga's Reviews as part of her blog tour to celebrate the release of her newest Sons of Navarus book, BLOOD PROPHECY. As part of the blog tour, there's also a fantastic giveaway so make sure to stick around to the end of the post!

When I'm not writing the Sons of Navarus PNR/UF series, I can often be found watching movies. I'm a huge movie fan! As much as I love reading a great book, seeing a great film is just as enjoyable.

I think I fell in love with movies in college. I took a course called Film As Art, and I've never watched a movie the same again. That course taught me about sound production, lighting, symbolism, themes, and so many other interesting facets that are a part of a great film. As an English major, I knew a lot about the symbolism and themes in great writing, but learning about how moviemakers use lighting and sound made movies different from that point on.

Even more than that, I enjoy movies for their great stories. While I enjoy an action-adventure film or a great comedy too, the best films for me are the ones that touch my heart. Take The English Patient, for example. What a great film! The love story between Ralph Fiennes and Kristen Scott Thomas's characters is so subtle, yet so powerful. The gorgeous setting of North Africa and the coming of the Second World War provides the backdrop for their illicit and disastrous affair. Simply stunning is the only way to describe this film.

Another of my favorites is The Age of Innocence. Edith Wharton's storytelling is deft, and Scorsese makes the story translate perfectly in this film. The story is subtle, but oh is it powerful. Daniel Day-Lewis' acting steals the show, setting the perfect tone for a film about the stifling social customs and expectations of late 19th century New York society. An entire scene is conveyed by a mere look he gives or through the movement of just one of his hands over the sleeve of the woman he so longs to be with but can't be because of the constraints of the world he must live in. So moving!

The King's Speech is a favorite too. I remember the first time I told someone about it and they thought I was crazy for liking it. An entire film about some king's speech impediment? But it's so much more. The film shows the growth of a true closeness between King George VI and his therapist, Lionel Logue, as the monarch works to overcome his stammer caused by years of neglect as a child. Colin Firth as King George and Geoffrey Rush as Logue are fantastic, making the simple idea of friendship come alive on the screen.

So that's what I do when I'm not writing. It's not all serious films, and I can never pass up the first Back To The Future movie or the 1980s classic, Better Off Dead, but I love to sit down to watch a great film that moves me.

Thanks for having me here today! I want to let readers know that they can find more information on the Sons of Navarus series at my website at www.gabriellebisset.com including excerpts, buy links, character profiles, swag (romance trading cards), and free desktop wallpapers to bring those delicious Sons to your computer. And look for Blood Prophecy, available now at all major booksellers!

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Thanks for stopping by, Gabrielle! And thanks to Iris of Paranormal Cravings for arranging this blog tour. =)

For more information about Gabrielle and her books, check out her website or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

You can also check out the other stops on the tour (scroll down to the bottom of the page):

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Here's the scoop on BLOOD PROPHECY:

I am everything you fear. I am vampire.
As the two Sons chosen to decipher the Prophecy of Idolas, Ramiel and Thane journey to find the key to defeating the Archons. Together with Noele, a born vampire, they confront their fates as they fulfill their duty to their world. Along the way, they'll find love, but death and betrayal lurk in the shadows, threatening everything dear to them.
Descended from the gods and warriors all, each Son's loyalty will be tested. Every action has consequences, and the choices they make now seal their fates. Alliances as old as the vampire world itself are reforged, and the Sons' duty is clear. Stop the Archons. Or die trying.
Read an excerpt
Purchase: Amazon

Here are the earlier books in the series:

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Gabrielle is providing a tour-wide giveaway: a Blood Prophecy bookthong, Sons of Navarus swag, including a mousepad, cover flat, signed bookmarks, pens, and trading cards for five of the Sons, and a signed copy of BLOOD PROPHECY!

To enter the giveaway, listen to the Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Do you guys have suggestions for who you’d like to see featured on the blog? If so, you can make your suggestions on this page. No guarantees that your favorite authors will be able to participate but we’ll try!

Authors, would you like to visit and share with us? Please email me at jennblogs (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

Bad Mouth blog tour: Interview with Angela McCallister + giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:55:33 PDT

Today we have a new visitor here on Team Tynga's Reviews: debut Entangled author Angela McCallister. She's on tour to celebrate the release of BAD MOUTH, a paranormal romance with vampires galore. I hope you'll enjoy the interview, and make sure to enter the two -- that's right, TWO! -- giveaways we have for you today.

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Welcome to Team Tynga's Reviews! To start, can you tell us a bit about the world you've created for BAD MOUTH?
Thank you, Jenn, for inviting me! In Bad Mouth, a dual-caste vampire society, the Immortalis, maintains a delicate balance while trying to peacefully coexist alongside humans—well, most of them try ☺ I wasn’t so interested in traditional vampires, so the Immortalis don’t change into smoke, bats or wolves, and religious symbols are a non-issue. In spite of the Immortalis name given them by earlier civilizations, they’re not immortal. A well-placed bullet could kill one of them. I imagined there would be wide-spread panic if vampires became known to humans in reality so in my world the society is regulated by treaties with the humans via a Vampire Liaison Office. This is partially why the castes are at odds, and it’s also what’s at risk when vampire-on-human murders kick off Val’s role in the beginning.

How did you get started writing paranormal romance?
I went for a walk on a full moon and something bit me. Or I wish it were that dramatic. Really, it’s what I happened to read the most at the time. My first romance loves were Gena Showalter, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan, Nalini Singh, etc. I love all the possibilities for the imagination and having so much control over the world in paranormal. I’m not such a control freak in real life *g*

Why vampires? What makes them so appealing?
I never thought about writing vampires initially. Then I met Alex Skarsgard, spending hours with him while he was on my Destroyer to film Battleship. He was fantastic (and sexy and had his arm around me, lol). Kade’s friend, Ezra, is loosely based on my impressions of Alex in person. Aside from that, I looove vampires. They’ve always had that “bad boy” effect, and you can’t help wanting to be the one to inspire the good in them.

In your opinion, who are the most over- and underrated vampires these days?
Can I plead the fifth??? I don’t begrudge any vampires. However, I do personally prefer my vampires on the darker side, barely leashed, and not sparkly. I recently read the WVMP series, and I adored the concept of the vampires stuck in the rut of their “death” decade. DJ vampires pretending to be humans pretending to be vampires. I enjoy when traditional vampire concepts are modified.

How does your life in the Navy impact/influence your writing?
It’s why I began writing in the first place. Being separated on deployment from family while working ridiculous hours with scarce sleep makes every day endless and repetitive. Reading saved me—a book per day—and then I was challenged to write one and I ran with it. I figured that book would be the end of it, but it wasn’t. It was extremely well-received, and I had requests for a sequel so I wrote it, and then I never stopped, lol. I often include a lot of military mannerisms, especially the language and our tendency to bond and bicker like family, good and bad, when we’re deployed.

Why do you think Kade and Val will appeal to readers?
Kade says outright what’s on his mind, as genuine as they come. He’s alpha without being a completely angsty caveman, and when Val begins to change his view of humans, he doesn’t beat readers’ heads over and over about his hatred. He deals with the next challenge, of which there are plenty. Val is not a typical heroine, and in fact, I don’t often write snarky types. You could consider her an ordinary, though beautiful, woman, who stands out not because she’s warrior-like, but because her dedication and self-esteem give her a backbone even in the face of fear and uncertainty. She’s passionate despite her conservative upbringing and has a strong sense of justice and integrity.

How did you come up with the title BAD MOUTH?
I listened to a song I’d heard hundreds of times, Bad Mouth by Fugazi, an indie rock band. It struck me that title would be a great triple-entendre for a vampire romance. After searching, I found no vampire books by that title so of course I had to write it, lol. The coolest thing ever was that I emailed Fugazi after I sold the book and vocalist Ian personally wrote back to me!!!

And with a title like that, I have to ask: is it easy to write the dirty talk and sex scenes? Or is it a challenge? ;)
Well, I’ve been a Sailor for over sixteen years, and the rumors about our language are no exaggeration. It was a challenge to tone it down! After immersion in jokes about everything for so long, it’s difficult to judge when something will seem offensive to a general reading audience so part of me wanted to go quite a bit further than I did. Kade is definitely offensive enough to shake up conservatively-raised Val’s world ;)

Did you do any research for BAD MOUTH? If so, could you share an interesting bit of trivia that came up?
Heh, I tried to calculate how fast an object would have to travel to be invisible to the eye, and I learned there’s no clear answer. It’s completely dependent on distance and field of view. I also found interesting places around Seattle of which, though I’m from Washington, I wasn’t aware. I love Pike Street Market but never knew about the “gum wall.” Yes, it’s literally a wall of gum with slobber from around the world. Probably. As many times as I’ve been to Seattle, I’ve never visited the Fremont Troll. There truly is a giant troll under the bridge.

You have a three-book deal with Entangled. What can we expect from you next? Any exclusive tidbits you can share?
The next book features another bad vampire. To Alice, Killian (AKA Ian) is just another bad cop as detestable as the one who destroyed her family, and regardless of her attraction to him, she has no respect for the way the vampire threatens his way into her agency’s murder case. Ian doesn’t much care for her judgmental opinions on the way he goes about obtaining justice, but when the new case raises the ghosts of an old case he believed long dead and buried, his law-bending ways could end with his execution. The second Alice becomes a target, his heart that he’d thought murdered along with his maker during that old case flares into blinding existence. The question is will following the law save her or end with a devastating repeat of his past?

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Thank you, Angela, for stopping by! For more Angela, check out her website or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

You can also see the rest of Angela's blog tour by clicking on the tour button below.

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And here's the scoop on BAD MOUTH:

After her ex-husband’s obsession with vampires, Valerie Craig is on a mission to stop transformations. Of all vampires, Kade Rollins is the worst of the worst, but when multiple murders plague Seattle, Val is forced to enlist his aid. Kade’s crude wit and seductive nature attract her like no other, but she can’t ignore his violence toward his human servants, no matter her yearning to forget.
She’s torn when she learns Kade may be behind the murders. Val's worked hard to protect humans from vampires, but the truth surrounding the murders could ignite a bloody battle between their races, one humans are sure to lose. Someone is pulling strings to build a vampire army and spark the war—setting Kade up to kick it off. But if she trusts the vampire prince, she risks her job, her integrity, and her heart if he betrays her as all the men in her life have.
Purchase: Amazon

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Angela and Entangled are offering two giveaways today!
Make sure to check the Rafflecopter forms for mailing restrictions.

Giveaway #1: One (1) lucky reader will win an e-copy of BAD MOUTH

To enter the giveaway, obey the Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway #2: There is also a tour-wide giveaway of an author-signed paranormal book bundle and a $50 Amazon/B&N gift card

To enter the giveaway, obey the Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Angela McCallister is a US Navy Sailor and author of Paranormal Romance repped by the fabulous Nalini Akolekar. Spoiled by the gorgeous weather of Southern California, she spends her days reading and writing whenever she's lucky enough to be away from work. In fact, she's never to be found without a book hidden somewhere on her person. Over the past two years, her writing has finaled in multiple RWA writing competitions, and her debut Paranormal Romance, BAD MOUTH, won MERWA's 2012 Everything But The Kitchen Sink Competition.

A Bloody Good Secret by Sierra Dean

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:02:51 PDT

A Bloody Good Secret by Sierra Dean

Book stats:
Reading level: Adult
E-book: 248 pages
Genre: Urban fantasy
Publisher: Samhain
Release date: September 20, 2011

Series: Secret McQueen #2

Source: Personal shelf

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

You can’t keep a good Secret for long.
Secret McQueen, Book 2
After cheating death twice in one night, confessing her true nature to her werewolf soul mates and being asked to kill one of her closest friends, Secret took a much-needed vacation. By running away.
Now she’s back in town—dragged kicking and screaming—determined to clear Holden Chancery’s name. Right after she finds out what he’s accused of. It shouldn’t be hard—Holden has a habit of using their new and scintillating psychic bond to break into her thoughts and dreams at some very, shall we say, awkward moments.
Just a few things stand in her way: a secretive Tribunal leader, a group of would-be vampire slayers and two werewolf boyfriends who refuse to let her operate in her customary lone-wolf style. Even less amusing are the terrifying creatures that someone is using in an attempt to gain control of the council. Even for this out-of-the-ordinary bounty hunter, it’s a challenge with potentially deadly teeth.
Warning: Contains an ever-plucky heroine with no shortage of weapons, super-hot mind games, an ever-complicated love triangle and one hell of a creepy amusement park.

My love affair with Secret McQueen continues after reading A BLOODY GOOD SECRET. As you may remember, I dared you to read the first book in the series last month after really enjoying it. And now I can report that the second book is just as much fun as the first, if not more!

The book opens in rural Manitoba, where Secret grew up with her grandmother. She ran away to Canada to avoid her latest mission from the vampire Tribunal: killing her friend Holden Chancery. But she's kidnapped and dragged home, forcing her to deal not only with her assignment but also the two werewolves she left behind. Desmond and Lucas have very different reactions to her reappearance and I enjoyed watching her negotiate her relationships with these men. Even though she's soul-bonded to both of them, the dynamics of each relationship are quite different and I find myself staunchly on Team Desmond. To further complicate matters, she's also starting to have sexy dreams about Holden, sometimes at extremely inconvenient times, and I appreciate the added dimension of confusion this brings to the relationship table.

We also get to learn more about how the Tribunal assigns missions to Secret and how Holden has been affected by his position as Secret's warden. It was a nice change of pace to see Secret think about the ramifications of her actions, even though it was all in retrospect. The author also starts to reveal what it means to be a warden, since Secret is now in that position with Brigit. (Can I just say that I love how Brigit has become incorporated into the story, going from the nameless blonde that Secret saves to a bigger part of the story?) The Holden storyline also shows us what Secret was like when she was younger, which was neat. She's still much the same since only six years have passed since Secret moved to New York but it's nice to see that she has developed some smarts and skills since first meeting Holden and Keaty. If that's not enough, there's also some great reveals about Sig but they left me with a lot of questions about his relationship with Secret.

As with the first Secret McQueen book, A BLOODY GOOD SECRET ends with a titillating piece of information that makes me glad I used a Christmas gift card to get all of the existing ebooks. I can't wait to see what Sierra Dean does to Secret next!

Read an excerpt (click on the excerpt tab)

Everbound by Brodi Ashton

noreply@blogger.com (Stéphanie) — Sun, 19 May 2013 04:48:00 PDT

Everbound by Brodi Ashton

Book Stats:

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 358 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release date: January 22, 2013

Series: Everneath #2

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Source: Library

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity — a debt that should’ve been hers. She’s living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away.

Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen — and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to assist her in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.

Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated — and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack — even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.

In this enthralling sequel to Everneath, Brodi Ashton tests the bonds of destiny and explores the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love.

Brodi Ashton introduced us to her exciting and original underworld called Everneath in book number one of her debut series. However, interesting enough, we never really did get the chance to see Everneath for what it really is, in the first book. Brodi Ashton teased us enough in book one that I was really glad to finally get the chance to visit this interesting world in EVERBOUND.

EVERBOUND takes off more or less right where EVERNEATH finished. Nikki, the main character, is living in the real world, and her boyfriend Jack is being kept prisoner in Everneath, in exchange for her spot in the Tunnels of Everneath. The Tunnels are probably the worse imaginable place you can think up. It’s a place where humans are kept and where Everlivings, the immortal being of the underworld, store them to feed off their emotions and energy. I admire Nikki’s dedication to get into the Tunnels in order to free Jack from his timely demise. I can’t image how it feels to have someone you love imprisoned while you feel you should be there in their place. Nikki isn’t necessarily the strongest female character that I’ve met in YA books, especially since she does have bouts of depression and does things without thinking them through first. However, her quest to save Jack is the only thing on her mind, and she even goes to the extreme of defying her father to accomplish what she started. Her sharp mind and quick thinking saves her quite a few times, which proves that you don’t need to be physically strong to come out on top. You just have to set your mind to it and find a different way to defeat the enemy.

Cole is without a doubt a very interesting character on his own. As an Everliving, I couldn’t figure out why he was trying to help Nikki with her quest, especially since he’s in love with Nikki himself. I knew in saving Jack, there was something in it for him, but I didn’t see this twist coming. Of course, this twist only reveals itself right at the end, so the book is sure to keep you on your toes until the very last page. The odd and unlikely love triangle isn’t really a triangle since Nikki doesn’t have romantic feeling for Cole. Her only feelings are for Jack and that’s something Cole has a hard time understanding, mainly since he can offer Nikki immortality while Jack can only offer a normal human life. Jealousy is obviously present but we don’t get to see how much it impacts the characters’ lives until the very end.

We all know sequels can easily fall short of our expectations but for some reason, I thought EVERBOUND was even more interesting, and even more action packed than its predecessor. From a literary stand point, I think it was a great idea to keep the Everneath a mystery by revealing only a few things in book one. Obviously, that means lots of thing are revealed only in this book, and the new twists and turns are surely to keep you reading. The cliffhanger ending isn’t really where I wanted the book to finish but again, I think it’s a great way to keep readers interested. I can’t wait to see how Nikki’s story will unfold in the next book since her life has once again been turned upside down without her realizing how involved she is with the Everneath.

Stacking the Shelves [56] + Introducing new reviewer!

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Sat, 18 May 2013 04:19:00 PDT

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Guidelines:

Create your own Stacking The Shelves post. You can use my official graphic or your own, but please link back to Tynga’s Reviews so more people can join the fun!

You can set your post any way you want, simple book list, covers, pictures, vlog, sky is the limit!

I am posting Stacking The Shelves on Saturdays, but feel free to post yours any day that fits you.

Visit Tynga’s Reviews on Saturday and add your link so others can visit you!

Visit other participants link to find out what they added to their shelves!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

------------------

I’m sorry guys I didn’t have time to record a vlog or event take a picture this week, time flew by and I almost forgot STS all together >.<

Here’s what I got in the past 3 weeks:

Bought:

Oath Bound by Rachel Vincent
Hot Blooded by Amanda Carlson

Both are sequels in series I adore and a strongly urge you to get your hands on them too!

---------------------

Now I would like to introduce you to our newest member on the team!

A month ago, I posted a recruitment post, looking for someone to replace our dear Lili. After much thought, and chat with many of the applicants, our choice settled on Helen!

I’d like to invite you to read her About me post and welcome her on board! She will start with a bang this Thursday with a review and her first Daring You To Read post, so don’t miss out!

I would also like to thank everyone who took the time to apply! I truly appreciate your interest in Team Tynga’s Reviews!

So, what did YOU add to your shelves this week?

Blood and Magick by James R. Tuck

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:16:25 PDT

Blood and Magick by James R. Tuck

Book stats:
Reading level: Adult
Mass market paperback: 352 pages
Genre: Urban fantasy
Publisher: Kensington
Release date: March 5, 2013

Series: Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter #3

Source: Review copy from Kensington

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Taking out hellish creatures—not a problem. Armed with blessed silver hollow-points and the ability to manipulate magick, he’s ready for anything—except betrayal he never saw coming…
Deacon Chalk knows the biggest danger in fighting monsters is becoming one. Just another day at the office for your friendly neighborhood occult bounty hunter. If keeping three helpless were-dog children safe means battling a malevolent trio of witches by any means necessary, so be it. If that means partnering with a ruthless government agent to stay one step ahead of the allies and friends he must now suspect, he’s not going to cry about it. The only way Deacon can save humans and shape-shifters alike is to embrace a power beyond his imagining, putting his team at stake—and his soul on the line…

Best Deacon Chalk story yet. Hands down. It may not have a tyrannosaurus but it rocks out like some totally awesome but obscure heavy metal star I would name if I knew anything about the genre. (I am in a silly mood as I write this post. Obvi.) The writing is solid, the plot is dynamic, and the pace is relentless. I couldn't put it down. Those little things that I didn't love in the previous books are gone and I was completely blown away by BLOOD AND MAGICK. It's got the plotting and excitement of an action movie and I was positively thrilled by it.

In his third full-length outing, Deacon is facing down a trio of witches who are incredibly powerful and utterly ruthless, which forces him to dig deep to save the day. It's the first time I really felt like Deacon could fail, which made BLOOD AND MAGICK so compelling. I had doubts about Deacon's ability to survive his encounter with these baddies and those doubts kept me glued to the (virtual) page. Witches may be pretty standard fare in urban fantasy and paranormal romance but James R. Tuck has done a marvellous job of creating tough, smart villains who pose a significant threat to the entire universe. Kudos, Mr. Tuck!

I also really liked the introduction of the O.C.I.D., a government organization specializing in the occult. At first, I was worried it would have a total Men in Black vibe but the agent we meet reminded me more of characters we might see in a Justin Gustainis novel: he had a more serious mien and skills. The addition of the O.C.I.D. really opens up the world Tuck has created and the possibilities going forward are very exciting, particularly in light of the last chapter. (You'll figure out what I mean when you get there, because I'm not going to spoil BLOOD AND MAGICK for you.)

There are also some lovely developments on a more personal level. We get some info about Father Mulcahy's past (though his history is still tantalizingly mysterious) and we also get to see where Deacon and Tiff's relationship is in the aftermath of the final battle in BLOOD AND SILVER, which I was very curious about. It's been six months since poor Tiff got put through the wringer yet again and I love the fact that she doesn't get too beaten down by life -- at least not for very long. Fans of Larson and Kat will also see them get some nice page time as the relationships between Deacon and these two characters face some incredible obstacles. We see just how inflexible Deacon can be when it comes to the occult, and what that line in the sand costs him, which makes for some serious emotional punch. Tuck also gives us some really poignant moments involving Deacon and his dead family and now I finally feel like I get why he keeps thinking about them. (You may recall I complained about the repetitiveness of this aspect of Tuck's debut, BLOOD AND BULLETS.) Now, the depth of his emotion really resonates with me.

BLOOD AND MAGICK is by far the best Deacon Chalk story so far and I can't wait to see what Tuck has up his sleeve next. He's always been a fantastic plotter but he's really levelled up with this book in terms of the tension, action, and scope. If you're on the fence about this series, make sure you hold out until this one. You'll be a loyal and true believer for sure after finishing BLOOD AND MAGICK!

Read an excerpt

Born of Illusion by Terri Brown

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:45:00 PDT

Born of Illusion by Terri Brown

Book Stats:
Reading level: YA
Genre: Historical fantasy
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release date: June 11, 2013

Series: Born of Illusion #1

Source: NetGalley

Reviewed by: Tynga

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived. But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?

Anna Van Housen’s life has never been easy. Cruising from town to town with her mom and the circus, always wondering if they will have enough money to eat or a roof above their heads. Not to mention the police and their anti-medium laws. When she moves to New York city with a her mother and have a nice apartment, she dare hope for a better future. But at what cost?

Terri Brown offered us a very original tale when she wrote Born of Illusion. I honestly never read something of the likes before and I enjoyed it! Anna is rumoured to be Harry Houdini's illegitimate daughter and has a knack for magic. She performs shows with her mother and even though Marguerite is the headline, she’s nothing but an actress. Anna on the other hand, she has real abilities and strives hard to keep them secret.

The plot line revolves around Anna’s strong desire to keep her mother safe. She’s been having visions of her mom and her being in danger and it’s her top priority to keep them safe. The story progress smoothly and I liked how Anna didn’t know whom to trust and that she made mistakes judging her peers. It made her that much more human despite her supernatural abilities.

One of the aspect I liked best was the historical set up. 1920s New York with its fashion and people’s proper etiquette. I also liked the references to big events such as the first world war and the Titanic. The atmosphere felt really vivid and I loved it!

I must admit though, there is one aspect of this novel I’m unsure how I feel about. See, Anna and her mother have a very complex relationship. Anna loves her to death and would do anything for her, but her mom treats her very poorly, almost like a tool. She refuses Anna to have any kind of success and to share the spotlight. She’s very self-centered and it made me uncomfortable. From a purely literary angle though, it was a great decision by Terri Brown because it brought more depth to the characters.

Speaking of characters, this novel falls victim to the love triangle trend. It wasn’t heavy or bothersome, but not very original either. One is sexy and brooding the other is good looking and outgoing – both want her for different reasons and I think Terri went a bit too heavy on the stereotype and it was easy from early on and see which one was the good boy and which one the bad boy. So Anna’s choice was no surprise and there wasn’t any suspense there. My favourite character was hands down was Mr. Darby her grumpy downstairs neighbour.

The end was suspenseful and satisfying if not surprising. A lot of mystery still surround Anna’s abilities but the main plot line wrapped up nicely. I haven’t decided yet if I will read the following books. I enjoyed this one and I would recommend it, but I wouldn’t say I loved it. I guess you’ll have to read it and judge for yourself!

Daring You To Read...Skinwalker by Faith Hunter

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Thu, 16 May 2013 03:24:00 PDT

It's been too long since I caught up with Jane Yellowrock, the protagonist of this fantastic urban fantasy series by Faith Hunter. I'm a few books behind on this series but that's going to change by the end of the summer!

I first discovered Hunter's writing through her Rogue Mage series (a dare for another day) but I was recently overcome by the urge to get reacquainted with Jane, one of the most interesting and unique heroines out there. Why do I find her so fascinating? If you are familiar with the series, I'm sure you can guess but here's the lowdown for folks who might not be in the know. =)

Jane Yellowrock is a skinwalker and freelance vampire hunter. The world knows about the latter since she has a website and everything, vampires having been outed in 1962 (it involves Marilyn Monroe!). The skinwalker part? That's a secret. As a skinwalker, Jane has the ability to shift into different animals but she usually turns into Beast, the big cat that lives inside Jane. Skinwalkers are rare -- so rare Jane might be the only one alive -- and if you want to find out how Beast and Jane ended up together, you'll get the answer in SKINWALKER. Jane's looking for answers too, since she can't remember her life before she was found wandering the woods at age 12. Despite this, Jane has a strong personality: she's smart, tough, and independent, she rides a motorcycle she calls Bitsa because it's made of bits of this and bits of that, she's got slick martial skills and smooth dance moves, and she's found a family in her best friend, Molly, who just happens to be a witch. How can you not root for a chick like this?

If Jane alone isn't enough incentive to get you to try SKINWALKER, you should know that there are vampires galore. Vampires have a strong presence in New Orleans, where SKINWALKER is set, and they've actually hired Jane to come in and find a rogue vampire. She learns a lot about the social structure of vampires over the course of the investigation, which means we do, too. There are clans, there are blood-servants, there are blood-junkies, and more, all led by Leo Pellister, the vampire in charge of the city. Every vampire Jane meets is intrigued by her because they can tell she's different but no one knows quite what she is, making her a mystery and a prize all at once.

Another great element in SKINWALKER is the prominence of Jane's Cherokee heritage. Hunter embraces Cherokee language and culture and it's cool to see Jane explore this side of herself. And cooler still to see Jane portrayed as a strong Native American woman on the cover!

If you're looking for a book with great writing, strong characters, and smart plots, get your hands on SKINWALKER!

Want more? I bet you do! Here's the scoop on SKINWALKER from Faith Walker's website:

A year ago Jane nearly lost her life taking down an entire blood family of deadly rogue vampires that preyed on the helpless local populace of an Appalachian town. Now, after months of recuperation, she’s back and ready to fight again. Except this time, she’s hired by those she’s trained to kill—vampires…

Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind—a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. Back from hiatus, she’s hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katies’s Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who’s killing other vamps.

Amidst a bordello full of real “ladies of the night,” and a hot Cajun biker with a panther tattoo who stirs her carnal desire, Jane must stay focused and complete her mission—or else the next skin she’ll need to save just may be her own…

My thoughts

Audio book excerpt

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

And here's the rest of the series:

And here are some short stories and e-releases, including EASY PICKINGS, a crossover with C. E. Murphy's Joanne Walker:

Daring You To Read is a weekly feature here on Tynga’s Reviews where we dare you to read some of our favorite older releases (at least 6 months old). All the books/series we choose to feature are titles we adored and think you should give them a shot! We think it’s a super awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!

What do you think? Have you read this series? Are you willing to accept my dare?

Soapboxing: Readers' rights

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:30:01 PDT

I had every intention of kicking off our new Soapboxing feature with a different post but this seemed a lot more timely in the wake of the brouhaha around the final Sookie Stackhouse novel. I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about but here's the Coles Notes version for those of you who have managed to avoid it: Someone in Germany got their hands on a copy of DEAD EVER AFTER early and didn't like it. S/he then proceeded to post spoilers about who Sookie ends up with and, I believe, even copied some of the text out. Now, I haven't gone looking to find out what was actually shared because I don't want it to be spoiled (I'll find out once my copy arrives in the mail) but the furor around this really got me thinking:

What rights do we have as readers? What kind of relationships should we have with authors?

I'm going to say right off the bat, readers DO NOT have the right to dictate to authors. We have the right to buy -- or not buy -- a book. (And by book I mean book/novella/novellette/etc. Pretty much any work of fiction). We have the right to read -- or not read -- a book. We have the right to our opinions about what happens in a book and the right to share those opinions, hopefully not by flaming the author, but freedom of speech is a right many of us have and exercise. But you can't legitimately argue that readers should decide how a story goes. If that's what you're looking for, you either need to invest in some Choose Your Own Adventure books or become an author yourself because there is no way that readers should be able to command authors or make big (or small) decisions about storylines. As readers, our primary job is to read the book. As authors, writers are supposed to create stories and can spend months or years crafting something that we spend a few hours reading. There's no contract that says an author has to write a book everyone loves. There's no law that says writing a book should be based on collective opinion. Unless you're the one writing the book, you don't get to choose how things go. As a reader, you're there for the ride.

Don't get me wrong, there are times when I've really disliked decisions that have been made by authors. The Sookie Stackhouse books have gone downhill for me and I definitely think that the early books in the series are better than the last two or three. And that's my right. I am entitled to this opinion, just like someone else can think that DEADLOCKED is the bee's knees and shout that from the skies. I'm allowed to say that I think that Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampires books went downhill once she resurrected Ethan. But this doesn't give me license to spew hate at the author, or post gigantic spoilers, or pirate books. All it means is I get to offer my two cents on the blog or to my friends or almost anywhere else and, as a decent human being, I should be doing it in a constructive way. And sometimes things that I really don't like end up being great for a series. I was so brokenhearted when Kelley Armstrong switched her narrator from Elena to Paige in her Otherworld series. After two books, all I wanted was more Elena and Paige was such a different character that I was totally bummed out by DIME STORE MAGIC. But you know what? Having revolving narrators made the series more interesting because you see so much more of the universe. And while the Elena-narrated stories are my favourites, I can understand why, as an author, Armstrong made this creative decision, and appreciate what it gives me as a reader.

On some levels, this all boils down to respect, freedom, and decency. If I spent a year or more working on something and then hundreds of strangers decided it was okay to tell me all the reasons why they hate me and my work, I'd be hurt, especially given the kind of language people sometimes use in these diatribes. And a lot of people turn their dislike about a plot point or a character into flat-out hatred for an author and it can get ugly. (Sidebar: Authors can also get ugly with their readers so I'm not saying that this is a one-way street. Decency and respect go both ways.)

If you go to Charlaine Harris' Facebook page, for example, you'll see she posts a response to the news about spoilers and even opens up the thread for positive and negative comments. She is one classy lady. I don't think I'd be this open or brave:

What I didn't copy were the 1,600+ comments mostly because of privacy and space but also because there are some damn hateful things in there. It's been said before but I'm saying it again: the Internet can bring out the worst in people because of the anonymity it provides. I'm pretty sure that most of the people on this thread wouldn't walk up to Charlaine Harris and say these extreme things to her face.At least I hope not. I heard that Jennifer Estep was receptive to some bloggers at RT discussing why they don't like Owen with her, which is very cool of her, but I don't think she should change the overall story arcs she has planned just because some people don't like Owen anymore. I also assume that these bloggers were voicing an opinion, not throwing insults or trying to get Estep to change her planned course of action. (I wasn't there so I can't say for sure but I'm a big fan of some of the people involved in that discussion and I can't imagine them being hateful.) Savvy authors go into things knowing that not everyone is going to love everything about their books but no one should be on the receiving end of the kind of vitriolic stuff I've seen lately online, not just around DEAD EVER AFTER but also about other books.

It's your right as a reader to break up with a series. It's your right as a reader to voice your thoughts. It's not your right as a reader to throw common decency out the window because one fictional characters ends up with "the wrong" fictional boyfriend. In the grand scheme of things, this is not the end of the world. No matter how attached you are to a character, life goes on. You can always imagine them ending up differently if it bothers you that much. Many an individual has done just that with fan fiction.

If artists listened to all of the haters in the world, we probably wouldn't have all the great works of art, music, and literature that exist today. I'm not saying the Sookie Stackhouse books are on the same level as a Picasso but I am saying this: writing is a creative pursuit and it's the nature of creative works not to appeal to everyone. Art in all its forms is subjective and not liking something doesn't mean you should slander another human being. Readers should read. Readers should feel so passionately about a book or a character that they get emotionally invested. That's how you know an author has done a great job. Readers should feel free to have their say and share their feelings about a story. Readers should not try to tell an author what to do or rage at an author because they don't like how a story is going.

What do you think? I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Please share in the comments!

Soapboxing is our platform for talking about books and book-related topics that matter to us. Soapboxing posts may be rants, they may highlight awesome or terrifying trends, or they might tackle bookish issues on our minds...
The content will vary but the posts will (hopefully) never be boring!

Introducing Soapboxing

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:29:00 PDT

Hello, everyone, Jenn here! I'm quite excited about this post because we are kicking off a new feature here on Team Tynga's Reviews! It's called Soapboxing and it's our new platform for talking about books and book-related topics that matter to us. Soapboxing posts may be rants, they may highlight awesome or terrifying trends, or they might tackle bookish issues on our minds...The content will vary but the posts will (hopefully) never be boring!

Why "Soapboxing"? The nerdy academic in me says the best way to explain is by offering a definition:

soapbox: an improvised platform used by a self-appointed, spontaneous, or informal orator; broadly : something that provides an outlet for delivering opinions [Miriam-Webster Online]

I can't think of a more appropriate title for this feature, can you?

I've been dying to write more opinion pieces for the blog and so we're going to give it a try! I had so much fun writing Why Whedonites Will Love STORMDANCER back in September and now we're going to make these types of posts a regular occurrence. In fact, starting today, Soapboxing will be a monthly feature! And don't worry, it won't just be me! =)

We hope you'll enjoy it and will most definitely be grateful for any feedback you'd care to offer.

To kick things off, I'm going talk about something that's been on my mind for a while, and that seems rather timely given the goings on around DEAD EVER AFTER. Curious? Come and check it out!

Touched by Corrine Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (Lili) — Wed, 15 May 2013 02:39:00 PDT

Touched by Corrine Jackson

Book stats:
Reading Level: Young Adult
ARC: 343 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Kensington Teen
Release date: November 27, 2012

Series: Sense Thieves #1

Source: From Publisher for Review

Reviewed by: Lili

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Remy O’Malley heals people with touch—but every injury she cures becomes her own. Living in a household with an abusive stepfather, she has healed untold numbers of broken bones, burns,and bruises. And then one night her stepfather goes too far.

Being sent to live with her estranged father offers a clean start and she is eager to take it. Enter Asher Blackwell. Once a Protector of Healers, Asher sacrificed his senses to become immortal. Only by killing a Healer can a Protector recover their human senses. Falling in love is against the rules between these two enemies. Because Remy has the power to make Protectors human again, and when they find out, they’ll be coming for her—if Asher doesn’t kill her first.

This is Book One in the Touched trilogy.

I admit, I was hesitant to start this book. The whole “magical powers enacted by touching people” idea has been done before many times in YA lit. I can think of at least two stories I’ve read already with similar concepts and another one that I know about just off the top of my head. But Jackson manages to tell such a unique intriguing story with one of the strongest heroines I’ve come across in a while. I can’t say I loved this one, but I greatly enjoyed it.

To begin, this book is not for everyone. There are many sequences of physical abuse that are pretty detailed. If violence makes you uncomfortable, this certainly isn’t the book for you. Remy’s stepfather, Dean, is an alcoholic. He feeds off of not only Remy’s pain, but her mother’s as well. And instead of allowing him to ruin her life, she allowed him to make her stronger. She wouldn’t break under him, despite the fact that he would break her bones because he was so maniacal. She became emotionally fortified and determined to survive--easily one of the toughest characters (both physically and emotionally) that I have found in a long time. I really enjoyed this aspect of Remy’s characterization because she wasn’t looking for sympathy and pity the way many abused characters do. While the abuse was a huge part of her life that caused her to create a huge shell around herself, when forced to face new situations she slowly opened herself to the possibility of a normal life with friends, family, and most of all, love. It’s safe to say I really, really like her.

But I have to say that the most interesting concept of this novel was her “super-power” and the lore that came hand-in-hand with her enemy. Remy has the ability to heal others by touching them. She simply has to picture their wound and the energy from her body will enter theirs to end their pain, but by doing so she will make their maladies her own. If she goes too far she can experience severe hypothermia and extreme pain that makes it seem as if she herself will die. I really loved the selflessness she exhibited at all times when helping others. And what I found even more interested was the concept of Protectors. They’re pretty much like superhuman ninjas because they’re fast, they’re immortal, they’re drop-dead gorgeous--but they can’t feel anything. The price of immortality? The loss of your senses. Whereas Healers like Remy feel too much, Protectors like Asher and his family feel too little.

While I must admit that Asher was a very great love interest because of his genuine concern, love, and care for Remy, I think that their story was very cliche in the beginning. It’s very new girl moves to town and is immediately fascinated by the town bad boy that is known for using girls so everyone she quickly befriends warns her off him immensely and she ignores everything they say. While I really liked the two of them, I was hoping such a unique story could avoid the cliche aspects of the plot line.

Full of one of the best cast of characters I’ve come across in a while, Jackson tells a story of selflessness and self-discovery with a really great and unique paranormal twist. If you’re looking for a unique romance with a perfect dash of paranormal abilities, this is a book that you will enjoy.

Read an Excerpt

"When I'm not writing" with Jocelynn Drake + giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:08 PDT

Jocelynn Drake is our guest this week for our "When I'm not writing" feature. She's got multiple titles under her belt as the author of two series: the Dark Days books and The Asylum Tales. Jocelynn is here today to celebrate her latest Asylum Tale, DEAD MAN'S DEAL, which was released last week. She's also providing a giveaway of the first novel in the series, ANGEL'S INK, so be sure to stick around to the end of the post!

Sadly, I feel like when I’m not writing, I should be writing. But everyone needs a break from work to let their brains rest just for a bit. During my downtime, I am a gamer. I’m not one of those hard-core gamer chicks who can school you on any game and/or system set in front of her (But it would be cool if I was.) However, I do know my way around a PlayStation controller.

My first love is the Final Fantasy series by SquareEnix. I fell in love with Final Fantasy VIII on PlayStation One. Enraptured by their detailed storytelling, I have played Final Fantasy 7, Crisis Core, 8, 9 10, 10-2, 12, 13, and I’m now working on 13-2. I’ve also played their Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, which are the Disney/Final Fantasy mash-up games.

Of all the Final Fantasy games, I think Final Fantasy X is my favorite, but then who doesn’t love a tragic love story. The graphics were beautiful. The battle system was brilliant. The storytelling was epic. I guess it should be no surprise that I have a Final Fantasy X tattoo to commemorate my love.

A couple years ago, my love of video games found a new addition – the Assassin’s Creed series. While I will freely admit that I’ve skipped the first game in the series, I am hopelessly in love with the rest of the games, particularly those featuring Ezio Auditorre d’ Firenza. What’s not to love? Suave, passionate, dedicated, and so very handsome. The storytelling is superb (which is pretty important to me if you haven’t figured that out) and I love wandering around renaissance Italy (or even running across the rooftops).

The added bonus is that Assassin’s Creed series has an online feature that lets me play assassination missions against other gamers. (So, if you happen to be killed by a JDrake while playing Assassin’s Creed online – my bad.)

Besides epic battles and sexy Italians, I also love building cities and civilizations, so I’ve naturally gotten addicted to SimCity. I’m also planning to start the Uncharted series soon, and not just because I share a last name with the main character (though it doesn’t hurt). What’s not to love? Explosions and treasure hunting.

Playing video games allows parts of my brain to space out for a time or to even work on a plot issue while I concentrate on things like locating all the Borgia flags and figuring out a clue 6to get me to Eldorado. Video games allow me to escape into another world while avoiding the written world for a short time, because sooner or later… that book I’m working on will be calling me back.

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Thanks for stopping by, Jocelynn! Always great to meet a fellow gamer!

For more information about Jocelynn and her books, check out her website or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

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Here's the scoop on DEAD MAN'S DEAL:

In a world where elves, faeries, trolls, werewolves, and vampires swim free in a sea of humanity, sometimes you need an edge. Looking for a little love? Need some luck? Desperate for revenge? Gage can give you what you need. The most talented tattoo artist in town, he knows the right symbol and the right mix of ingredients and ink to achieve your heart's desire. One tattoo is all it takes. But remember, everything has its price...
Gage learned that lesson long ago, in ways he'd rather not remember. But the cruel and powerful wizards in the dreaded Ivory Towers he escaped aren't about to let him forget. Though Gage has managed to stay out of sight, he can't outrun the past forever. The wizards know Gage is using forbidden magic, and they intend to punish him for his transgressions.
Too bad if innocent humans and monsters—entire cities—get in the way. They will quell a nascent magical uprising and Gage will be the sacrifice they need. First, though, they have to find him...
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Here are the earlier books in the series:

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Jocelynn is kindly offering up one (1) copy of ANGEL'S INK, the first book in the series, to a lucky reader!

To enter the giveaway, obey the Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Authors, would you like to visit and share with us? Please email me at jennblogs (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

The Rose Throne by Mette Ivie Harrison

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Mon, 13 May 2013 03:23:00 PDT

The Rose Throne by Mette Ivie Harrison

Book Stats:
Age Range: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Release date: May 14, 2013

Source: NetGalley

Reviewed by: Tynga

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Richly-imagined fantasy romance from the author of Princess and the Hound, a tale of two princesses--one with magic, one with none--who dare seek love in a world where real choice can never be theirs. For fans of Megan Whalen Turner, Catherine Fisher, and Cassandra Clare.

Ailsbet loves nothing more than music; tall and red-haired, she's impatient with the artifice and ceremony of her father's court. Marissa adores the world of her island home and feels she has much to offer when she finally inherits the throne from her wise, good-tempered father. The trouble is that neither princess has the power--or the magic--to rule alone, and if the kingdoms can be united, which princess will end up ruling the joint land? For both, the only goal would seem to be a strategic marriage to a man who can bring his own brand of power to the throne. But will either girl be able to marry for love? And can either of these two princesses, rivals though they have never met, afford to let the other live?

The Weyr Kingdoms were split in two when the King’s wife died. In his mourning, he felt such anger that he decided to keep his taweyr (fighting/death magic) and cast away Neweyr (life magic). Centuries later, the consequences are still very much present and only man can wield taweyr and woman neweyr. The unlucky ones born with the wrong magic, the Ekhono, are hunted down in the Kingdom of Rurik and forced to flee to Weirland. The princess of each kingdom thrives for something different and will do their very best to change their world, despite what little power they have.

The Rose Throne caught my interest while browsing netgalley because I’m such a fan of fantasy and I must confess, I’m still unsure if I liked this novel or not. There are elements I liked, others I disliked and even after thinking about it for a day after I finished reading, the juror is still out on that final decision. I guess I’m neutral?

One of the things I liked most about Mette Ivie Harrison’s book is the rich Lore she blessed us with. I loved the original magic she created and how it was handled by the characters. It created interesting tension between the characters and I appreciated that each Kingdoms had their own point of view on the matter. Further more, the fact that the Princess of Weirland (Issa) came to Rurik made things much more interesting as their culture clashed.

On the other hand, I had issued with the plot and pace. We follow both Princesses and their betrothed along their journey, for nearly a year and to my dismay, there wasn’t much action. They are executions, but it’s a common event in the Kingdom of Rurik and didn’t bring much heart-pounding energy. My main bother though, is the fact that there isn’t a clear goal during the whole journey. Yes, there is a desire to fulfill a prophecy, but every characters is so busy fulfilling their duties that it takes the passion out of it all. I wasn’t bored through the novel, don’t get me wrong, but I never felt an urgency nor a finish line to look forward to, so it was a disappointment to me.

Thankfully, the individual character’s redeemed the previous issue in some ways. I liked that each of them had very unique personalities and each of them reacted in their own way when faced with the King in particular. Princess Issa is sweet and innocent and I loved her for it. She finds herself surrounded by wolves and is none the less determined to marry the young Prince Edik to save her own Kingdom. Her strong sense of duty could be dull but she was very endearing. Princess Ailsbet comes out as very austere because she keeps everyone out, but she loves her bother very much and I liked that she was willing to help Issa. Their unlikely relationship pleased me!

The young Edik was frustrating because he wanted so much to please his father that he was waking a fool of himself, on more than one occasion I felt this urge to shake some sense into him, but in the end, I simply pitied the poor kid. Lord Kellin, Ailsbet’s betrothed, turned out to be one of my favourite characters. I honestly couldn’t pin point the reason why, but I felt a connection to him. He is mysterious and play the part on the King’s most trusted man, all the while doing what’s best for his country, whether that King agrees or not (not that He would know).

The one thing I didn’t like, character wise, is the relationship between Issa and Kellin. They can’t stand each other as they meet, ignore each other, and at some point, without anything happening, they are madly in love. It was some unbelievable that I was completely baffled. I thought I might have missed a chapter or something.

I’m also on the fence regarding the conclusion of The Rose Throne, mostly because a lot happens at once, which felt very anti-climatic compared to the rest of the novel and because miss Harrison made some very cleaving decisions. Not every character will live to tell the tale, and I was surprised at the way some characters dealt with the events. I can’t say much more without spoiling the conclusion to you, but in the end, I don’t know if I will read the second book in the series.

I liked the lore and the characters, and if you enjoy Mette Ivie Harrison’s writing style I’m sure you love enjoy this novel. Too bad it didn’t quite work for me in the end.

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

noreply@blogger.com (Stéphanie) — Sun, 12 May 2013 04:00:10 PDT

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

Book Stats:

Reading level: Adult
Mass market paperback: 367 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Penguin
Release date: February 7, 2012

Series: The Crescent Moon Kingdoms #1

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Source: Library

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

From Saladin Ahmed, finalist for the Nebula and Campbell Awards, comes one of the year's most anticipated fantasy debuts, Throne of the Crescent Moon, a fantasy adventure with all the magic of The Arabian Nights.

The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, home to djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, are at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. But these killings are only the earliest signs of a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn the great city of Dhamsawwaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.

I was first attracted to THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON because of its rare Arabian Nights-like setting. Rarely do I read book with a setting like this one so I thought I would give it a chance. The book I reviewed last week made me visit the middle of the Amazon rainforest and today’s book made me discover the mysteries of a fictional middle east world. And like last week, I wasn’t disappointed with the setting of the book. The rich and detailed descriptions of the Crescent Moon Kingdoms made me admire the author’s imagination. Not only did he reinvent the middle east as we know it, but he also added fantasy elements to make it more mysterious and colorful.

At first, I had issues with the main character because Adoulla is a 60 year old ghul hunter past his prime that never stops complaining. In almost every chapter, we hear him complain about his age and his fat old body, and to tell you the truth, it was really hard to connect with him despite how hard I tried to see it from his point of view. And let’s be serious, a lamenting old man isn’t very attractive. So when I the story started to follow two other important characters, I was very relieved. Adoulla’s assistant, Raseed, is a monk-like warrior who is reserved and tries to follow the rules as much as possible (or as much as Adoulla will let him). During their first ghul hunt of the book, they meet Zamia, a young tribeswoman who is trying to avenge the murder of the members of her band. Her ability to transform into a lion and her direct link to some of the fallen makes her an unlikely ally, and so Adoulla feels the need to take her under his wing. Only then do I truly start to like Adoulla. The sweet and unlikely relationship that builds between 17 year old Raseed and 15 year old Zamia was a nice surprise since I thought the book was going to follow and 60 year old fart (his word, not mine).

The plot is very slow. I would expect any fantasy book to be very descriptive and THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON doesn’t fail in that aspect. However, since it’s a rather short fantasy novel, I felt cheated because a lot of it was description, and we didn’t get much action in the middle of the story. I’m very glad that the story picked up, but I can see how some readers would simply give up completely because of the lull in the middle.

The book may be about fighting evil forces that have infiltrated the capital city called Dhamsawaat, but it’s also a book about human nature. The flawed protagonists all follow a Christian-like religion and their constant dedication to fighting this evil is admirable. They might all have different reasons for fighting, but in the end, it’s their synonymous goal that makes them band together. Their views of God and their interpretation of scripture are very different, probably because they come from very different backgrounds. That’s what makes these character so complex and enjoyable. Personally, I really like how the author incorporated magic and alkhemy within this Christian-like religion of his. The presence of damnable beings like ghuls and the mysterious shadow creature hunting in the city and its surroundings are the perfect personifications of evil, and the right antagonists for this novel. Other factors that makes us investigate the human nature include a vigilante called the Falcon Prince that reminds me a lot of Robin Hood and the corrupt monarchy that is on the brink of forcing a revolution.

I wouldn’t say that this book was an exciting read (especially because of its slow start) but I was surprisingly entertained. The well developed characters and the rich, detailed world building was a definite plus. A great beginning to a majestic trilogy, I think this might be the start of an epic adventure.

Read an excerpt

Helen’s Wishlist

noreply@blogger.com (Helen) — Sat, 18 May 2013 04:50:59 PDT

This is my ever-growing wish list! I’ll do my best to keep it updated :)

* Books I NEED!

Past releases:

Erasing Time by C.J. Hill (HC)
Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Spencer Hill)
The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (S&S)
Breathe by Sarah Crossman (HC)
Hysteria by Megan Miranda (Bloomsbury)

March 2013

Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger (S&S)
When we Wake by Karen Healey (Hachette)
Uninvited by Sophie Jordan (HC)

April 2013

The Shadow Girl by Jennifer Archer (HC)
Arclight by Josin L. McQuein (HC)
Taken by Erin Bowman (HC)
Fractured by Teri Terry (Hachette)

May 2013

Parallel by Lauren Miller (HC)
The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan (Random House)
Towering by Alex Flinn (HC)
*The End Games by T. Michael Martin (HC)
The 5^th Wave by Rick Yancey (Penguin)
Absent by Katie Williams (Chronicle Books)
Reboot by Amy Tintera (HC)

June 2013

*Linked by Imogen Howson (S&S)
Rush by Eve Silver (HC)
Hidden by Marianne Curley (Bloomsbury)
In the After by Demitria Lunetta (HC)

July 2013

Contaminated by Em Garner (Egmont)
Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay (Random House)

August 2013

**Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Entangled)
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (Bloomsbury)
All our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill (Bloomsbury)

September 2013

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil (HC)
*The Outside by Laura Bickle (Houghton Mifflin)
*Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz (Penguin)
All the Truth That’s in Me by Julie Berry (Penguin)
Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts (Macmillan)

October 2013

The Dollhouse Asylum by Mary Gray (Spencer Hill)
Premeditated by Josin L. McQuein (Random House)
Teardrop by Lauren Kate (Random House)
Tandem by Anna Jarzab (Random House)

November 2013

Fault Line by Christa Desir (S&S)

December 2013

Control by Lydia King (Penguin)

2014:

**Unhinged by A.G. Howard (Abrams) – January 2014
*The One by Kiera Cass (HC) – May 2014
Dissonance by Erica O’Rourke (S&S) – August 2014
*Untitled (Lux #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Entangled) – Expected 2014

Stacking the Shelves [55]

noreply@blogger.com (Stéphanie) — Sat, 11 May 2013 02:30:00 PDT

Guidelines:

Create your own Stacking The Shelves post. You can use my official graphic or your own, but please link back to Tynga’s Reviews so more people can join the fun!

You can set your post any way you want, simple book list, covers, pictures, vlog, sky is the limit!

I am posting Stacking The Shelves on Saturdays, but feel free topost yours any day that fits you.

Visit Tynga’s Reviews on Saturday and add your link so others can visit you!

Visit other participants link to find out what they added to their shelves!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

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Hey everyone! My turn to stack the shelves. I didn’t get the chance to do a vlog this week because of time constraints, but I’ll try to do one next time.

Not a lot of stuff to be excited about this week but I’m quite anxious to get to most of these. I think I got a good mixture of genres and types so it won’t be difficult to find something that interests me, that’s for sure.

Here’s what I got:

For Review

Rush by Eve Silver (thanks to HarperCollins Canada)
The Outcast Prince by Shona Husk (thanks to Sourcebooks through NetGalley)*
Dead Living by Glenn Bullion*
Dark Flight by Cassi Carver*

Bought

Uncertain Magic by Laura Kinsale
Remembrance by Michelle Madow*

Library

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

Won

Tempting Danger by Eileen Wilks (thanks to Angela James from Carina Press)*

*denotes an e-book or e-ARC

So what did everyone else add to their shelves this week?

Zenn Scarlett blog tour: Life on a Dystopian Mars by Christian Schoon

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Fri, 10 May 2013 04:15:00 PDT

This week, we're welcoming one of Strange Chemistry's newest authors, Christian Schoon, to Team Tynga's Reviews. His debut novel, ZENN SCARLETT, has just been released and Christian is joining us today to talk about what life is like on a dystopian Mars. It's great insight into the setting of his novel and I think it'll really inspire you to give ZENN SCARLETT a try.

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Life on a Dystopian Mars

My heroine, Zenn, lives on a future Mars where things aren’t going so well. And the dystopian nature of the colonies on Mars has a fairly significant impact on everything that Zenn goes through during the novel.

So, why isn’t Mars a place of sleek, ultra-modern skyscrapers, vast, shiny domes and zippy monorails carrying outrageously fashionable elites with peculiar hair-styles hither and yon on happy, hedonistic trips to the teen-gladiatorial games over at the Olympus Mons hyper-arena? Glad you asked.

Several decades ago, the Earth cut off all communication and trade with Mars and the other dozen or so inhabited planets of the Local Systems Accord. This had to do with a gnarly virus that burned through Earth’s population and really did a number on the planet. The Earthers blamed aliens and their animals. So, they kicked them all off-world. Mars still deals with aliens, though, so they also stopped all contact with their former colonies on the Red Planet.

Zenn lives in the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic and training facility, where she’s studying to be an exoveterinarian specializing in large, dangerous alien animals. The Cloister does have some more or less modern, sci-fi-y equipment (sedation field generators for remotely sedating animals, advanced surgical devices, etc.), but due to the Rift with Earth, a lot of this stuff is breaking down, wearing out or having its software go buggy. There are no spare parts, no replacements, no upgrades available. So, Zenn and the others at the Cloister have to make do, patch, repair and generally scrape by as best they can.

The dystopian hammer has fallen hardest, however, on the colonists outside the cloister’s thick, mud-brick walls. They don’t use domes for habitation on this Mars; instead, they have tech that allows them to seal off large expanses of the vast Martian canyon systems, then pump the sealed canyons full of breathable atmosphere, and then build towns on and farm the canyon floor. But the bary-gen generators that once protected the canyons are beginning to go off line. So, the atmosphere and warmth in that portion of canyon leaks out, and the colonists have to quickly abandon their farms or villages and take whatever they can carry and move to the large towns where the bary-gens are still holding the cold, airless, outside Martian “atmosphere” at bay. Naturally, this means Mars is losing its farmable land bit by bit, and food is beginning to be hard to come by.

The whole look of the colonies is also being changed by the Rift, or trade embargo with Earth. There are some older, original buildings that were made from gorgeous, cut Martian sandstone and other rocks. But lately, any new structures, or repairs to old ones, must be built from scavenged materials, old metal sheeting, shipping containers and crates. Now, basically, you have shanty towns full of refugees growing up like a fungus around the remaining cities.

And this is the world that Zenn finds herself in, as she attempts adapt to and survive the tribulations of her environment, while at the same time managing to get through her novice year of exoveterinary school. Of course, she also faces an array of other challenges, from the academic to the romantic to the alien-medical, but all of these are impacted by the fact that Mars is sinking fast into a dystopian hole… and there’s no bottom in sight.

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Thanks so much for visiting us again, Christian! I'm looking forward to the rest of your tour!

Want more Christian? You can find him online at his website or follow him on Twitter. You can also see the rest of Christian's tour by clicking here.

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Here's the scoop on ZENN SCARLETT:

Zenn Scarlett is a bright, determined, occasionally a-little-too-smart-for-her-own-good 17-year-old girl training hard to become an exoveterinarian. That means she’s specializing in the treatment of exotic alien life forms, mostly large and generally dangerous. Her novice year of training at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars will find her working with alien patients from whalehounds the size of a hay barn to a baby Kiran Sunkiller, a colossal floating creature that will grow up to carry a whole sky-city on its back.
But after a series of inexplicable animal escapes from the school and other near-disasters, the Cloister is in real danger of being shut down by a group of alien-hating officials. If that happens, Zenn knows only too well the grim fate awaiting the creatures she loves.
Now, she must unravel the baffling events plaguing her school, before someone is hurt or killed, before everything she cares about is ripped away from her and her family forever. To solve this mystery – and live to tell about it – Zenn will have to put her new exovet skills to work in ways she never imagined, and in the process learn just how powerful compassion and empathy can be.
Jenn's thoughts
Read an excerpt
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

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Born in the American Midwest, Christian started his writing career in earnest as an in-house writer at the Walt Disney Company in Burbank, California. He then became a freelance writer working for various film, home video and animation studios in Los Angeles. After moving from LA to a farmstead in Iowa several years ago, he continues to freelance and also now helps re-hab wildlife and foster abused/neglected horses. He acquired his amateur-vet knowledge, and much of his inspiration for the Zenn Scarlett series of novels, as he learned about - and received an education from - these remarkable animals.

Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:12:00 PDT

Zenn Scarlett by Christian Schoon

Book stats:
Reading level: Young adult
Trade paperback: 304 pages
Genre: Science fiction
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Release date: May 7, 2013

Series: n/a

Source: eARC via NetGalley

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Zenn Scarlett is a bright, determined, occasionally a-little-too-smart-for-her-own-good 17-year-old girl training hard to become an exoveterinarian. That means she’s specializing in the treatment of exotic alien life forms, mostly large and generally dangerous. Her novice year of training at the Ciscan Cloister Exovet Clinic on Mars will find her working with alien patients from whalehounds the size of a hay barn to a baby Kiran Sunkiller, a colossal floating creature that will grow up to carry a whole sky-city on its back.
But after a series of inexplicable animal escapes from the school and other near-disasters, the Cloister is in real danger of being shut down by a group of alien-hating officials. If that happens, Zenn knows only too well the grim fate awaiting the creatures she loves.
Now, she must unravel the baffling events plaguing her school, before someone is hurt or killed, before everything she cares about is ripped away from her and her family forever. To solve this mystery – and live to tell about it – Zenn will have to put her new exovet skills to work in ways she never imagined, and in the process learn just how powerful compassion and empathy can be.

I wasn't sure what I was going to get when I started ZENN SCARLETT but I'm sure glad I gave it a try. ZENN SCARLETT is a really interesting coming-of-age-in-space story with great characters, a cool setting, and plot threads that will capture your imagination.

ZENN SCARLETT is like a breath of fresh air. I'm not terribly well-versed on science fiction so there may be similar books out there but this is the first time I've read something like this and I found it to be really interesting. Zenn is in training to be an exoveterinarian (a vet for alien creatures). She lives on a cloister on Mars with her uncle, training as his apprentice and preparing for her exams. It's a fairly idyllic existence but there are problems: Zenn's mother died in a major accident while doing her job as an exoveterinarian and Zenn's father took off in the throes of grief, plus there are strange accidents happening at the cloister. It's great setting and I loved getting familiar with Zenn and her environment. Her life in the cloister is busy since she's got a lot to learn but I found the day-to-day routine pretty interesting. The cloister runs a lot like a farm and Schoon does a great job of creating a sense of place even in such an alien landscape. In fact, What I like most about ZENN SCARLETT are the setting and the detail that goes into the xenobiology. There are all sorts of interesting species and I felt completely immersed in the novel.

In terms of characters, I liked Zenn. She's very much a teenager but I think Schoon does a great job of giving her a good sense of herself and some maturity. Zenn is really dedicated to her career, something we don't always see in YA novels. She's so completely focussed on her studies and her desire to become a great exovet that it's basically consumed her life. She has no time or interest in romance, which makes her nicely different from the boy-crazy characters that can plague the literature. ZENN SCARLETT has a potential romantic interest but it's not the focus of the novel. My other favourite characters were Hamish, one of the employees on the cloister, and Katie, Zenn's pet rikkaset, a sort of fluffy chameleon-like creature. I wasn't as fussy about Zenn's uncle but he's written as rather unapproachable so I expect I'm not alone in this one.

The last part of the novel really builds the scope of the world, but I don't want to talk about that too much to avoid spoilers. I will say that the book ends in a way that has me very curious about what will happen next. ZENN SCARLETT is a strong debut for Schoon, set in an interesting world and full of great mythology. And it's got one of the prettiest covers I've seen in a while! How can you not check this out?

Read an excerpt

Giveaway: The Program by Suzanne Young

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Thu, 09 May 2013 04:24:00 PDT

To celebrate the recent release of The Program on April 30th, Simon & Schuster is offering 2 copies of the novel to two Team Tynga's Reviews readers!

More about the book:

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

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Daring You to Read… Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Thu, 09 May 2013 02:23:00 PDT

This week I am daring you to read a great Urban Fantasy, Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson. Actually, I should dare you to read Blooded, a short story that introduce us to Jessica’s world, because I think you should read it before you take on the first book. It allows you to understand a lot about Jessica, and where she’s coming from.

Now back to Full Blooded, the basic concept isn’t all the original, with Jessica being the first and only female werewolf. The whole ‘being the only X’ concept has been explored more than once, but what it implies for Jessica is really interesting. It was foretold that a female werewolf would bring about the end of the race, and surprisingly, Carlson’s werewolves are a superstitious bunch and from her birth, Jessica was feared and hated.

She doesn’t let any prophecies stop her though and decide to build her life away from the pack. She’s never been able to shift and so blending with humans was fairly easy,… until she finally shifted that is. I loved that we were privy to her first shift and her crazy emotions. I also truly loved her as a character. She’s witty, entertaining and strong.

Amanda Carlson also blessed us with an awesome brochette of male secondary characters. I loved Tyler, her big brother and his best friend Danny. Nick, her best friend, also rocked my world. My crush goes for James though, smolderingly hot second in command, and Rourke, secretive cat extraordinaire.

The pace is fast and furious and this action packed story is bound to please shifters fans. If you’re like me, a bit of humour is also always welcome, and you won’t be disappointed. Here’s a funny quote:

Rourke, what kind of werecat are you?" He seemed genuinely surprised by the question. Then he narrowed his eyes, flashing me a toothy grin. "I never kiss and tell on the first date.

Full Blooded was an amazing read, and with Hot Blooded freshly released, it’s a great moment to pick up this title!

After living in hiding for the last twenty-six years, Jessica wakes up to find she's become a full-blooded werewolf — claws, fangs, fur, everything. It was never supposed to happen: female werewolves don't exist.

When a mercenary killer comes looking for her, her Pack finds themselves caught in the middle of a war. They must rise up to protect her, but no one knows if she's means the end of their race-or just a new beginning.

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Jenn’s Review

More in the series:

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Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

noreply@blogger.com (Lili) — Wed, 08 May 2013 02:43:00 PDT

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Book stats:
Reading Level: Young Adult
ARC: 328 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: June 7, 2010

Series: Fairytale Retellings #1

Source: ARCycling

Reviewed by: Lili

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

A few months ago, you may remember that I reviewed another novel by Jackson Pearce entitled FATHOMLESS. FATHOMLESS is actually book three in her fairytale retelling series—this being book one—but the books do not have to be read in any specific order since they’re all pretty much stand-alone novels connected by the common theme of recreating a fairytale. I was looking forward to FATHOMLESS immensely because it was a Little Mermaid re-telling, but I was incredibly disappointed. However, my friends urged me to give Pearce another try because they love her, and so I picked up SISTERS RED, clearly a Little Red Riding Hood re-telling, and realized that Pearce really is a decent story-teller. While I have yet to be blown away, my original disappointing one star experience with Pearce is now easily a satisfactory and entertaining three star one.

SISTERS RED is undoubtedly an easy read to get through. There’s not many complexities and the creativity in the tale is high. I was pulled in immediately in the first chapter where the concept of the Fenris was introduced via a gruesome attack that left a young Scarlett scarred for life and her Grandmother dead. See, the Fenris are pretty much werewolves that pose as humans and turn into their wolfish selves when cornering an attractive young woman whose heart they plan on eating. Get it? The better to eat you with, my dear. But that’s beside the point. This type of werewolf was incredibly interesting because this gruesome experience shaped Scarlett into a ruthless Fenris killing machine for the remainder of the novel. Her trusty red cloak lured them in and then her trusty hatchet was used for the kill. But when all of the different Fenris clans begin gathering to search for the Potential—the next boy that can be changed into a werewolf with a bite since not anyone can be changed into a werewolf in this book—her world is about to get turned upside down.

While I found the plot fascinating, I did have a few issues with it. To begin, the first chapter really had me on the edge of my seat. It was dark, it was quick, it was detailed and surprising. In other words, it was a great way to begin the novel. The several chapters following the introduction seemed dry in comparison. I wish that the high level energy could be found throughout the entire novel instead of just in pockets of huge hunting sprees performed by Scarlett, her younger sister Rosie, and their partner Silas the woodsman. Secondly, the major plot points and mysteries were incredibly obvious to me less than a third of the way through the book. The entire novel is focused on finding who this new Potential is and rescuing him before he gets turned into a Fenris. I figured out his identity and willingly bet my next paycheck on it before I reached page 100, so while the search and the lore revealed later on in the book was fascinating and interesting, the big reveal was anti-climatic and the build-up was entirely unnecessary.

Lastly, the characterization was superb in some characters and lacking in others. I really, really loved Scarlett. She faced down a Fenris right after it killed her Grandmother and killed it in return with nothing but a broken piece of glass from a cracked mirror. In the process, one of her eyes was ripped out of her head so she now has to wear an eye patch and her entire body was mauled. Pretty much every inch of her skin is marred with scars aside from the skin right above her heart. She has issues with beauty and insecurities, she secretly envies her younger sister who is naturally gorgeous. Scarlett feels alone in the world because of her physical insecurities, which is why her sister and her friendship with Silas, her hunting partner, is so important to her. They’re all she’s got since everyone else judges her. Then there’s Rosie, who seems incredibly vain in comparison to Scarlett’s complexity. Scarlett lives and breathes the hunt to save other girls from the fate forced upon her by the Fenris, but Rosie doesn’t really want to hunt. She wants to be with boys, and she wants to dance, and do normal things. And while this would normally appeal to me, seeing it in comparison to Scarlett’s passion just fell really flat. Chapter four, told in Rosie’s POV since it alternates with Scarlett’s has a line near the beginning describing where they live that says:

“The hills and farmland surrounding our cottage are the very definition of “rolling.” Everything rolls endlessly—the trees into forests, hills into the horizon, clouds into mountains.”

In other words, everything just keeps going. That’s how I felt about the chapters in Rosie’s POV, they just kept going and going and going when all I wanted was for them to end so that I could get back to Scarlett. This is saying something since Rosie’s also the only one who experiences any form of a romantic relationship. I thought that Scarlett’s reaction to Rosie’s relationship was entirely justified because she’s also only 16 and she’s dating a 21 year old. I’d be annoyed too and the fact that Rosie didn’t think Scarlett’s anger was realistic annoyed me further in regards to her characterization.

All in all, I think this is one of the most original Little Red Riding Hood re-tellings out there. I have yet to come across one that is comparable. While it is not perfect, it’s certainly entertaining and this quick read will easily put a smile on your face. Pearce managed to take a beloved fairytale and twist it into an entirely new story while maintaining some of its overarching concepts. I am happy to report that I am now eager to give her another chance. This novel is perfect if you are looking for a quick, unique fantasy with a small side of gruesome detail. With that being said, I don't have the stomach for true gore and I got through this one just fine.

Read an Excerpt