Friday, May 31, 2013

BLOG TOUR: EXCERPT & $25 GIVEAWAY: ESCAPING DARKNESS by Theresa McClinton

escaping darkness
Escaping Darkness

She may have spent years in an asylum, but that didn’t make her crazy–just fearless.

Dropped in Moscow with her friends on an impossible mission against underworld forces, Tara is left to her feelings of overwhelming inadequacy. Her boyfriend is a healer, her best friend is “the Guardian,” and everyone else is a powerhouse of awesome strengths. The only thing she has been able to contribute are her memories, which has left her with nightmares of her time spent at the mercy of the evil Sarian–who everyone has gone to fight.

Alone with her emotions, Tara finds herself falling into a city of depravity and corruption. And amidst all this evil is a young man with an agenda of his own, who leads her down a road that will either prove she is a hero at heart, or drag her into a world she’s always feared.

He wants revenge, she wants redemption. And in an underground rings of missing girls and bloody sacrifices, only the fearless can survive…


EXCERPT

Light shined through the windows, waking Tara in a cold sweat. She had almost gotten used to the feeling of damp hair stuck to her forehead and neck.
Thankfully, she recognized the gold and burgundy drapes of Peter’s room, and her muscles relaxed into the down feather comforter.
Peter’s room had become her favorite, no matter where in the world they were. Not the room itself, but his energy in it. It blanketed the space with tranquility.
Her inner peace vanished when she allowed her mind to wander to the last time they spoke. She’d broken his heart—and hers. He probably thought she just didn’t want him, which was the furthest from the truth.
A man cleared his throat. Tara startled and sat up, facing Renato who rested on a fabric chaise on the opposite side of the room, his ankle crossed over his knee and a pipe in his mouth.
Tara gripped the blanket and pulled it over her chest. She still had on her tank top and jeans, but for some reason felt indecent, just waking up and still in bed.
“Good morning.” His tone seemed calmer than normal while he examined her with a placid stare. “Tara, why did you keep this from us?”
She swallowed. “I guess Peter told you.”
“He did. But he waited much too long.”
She hung her head. “It’s not his fault. I didn’t want him to tell you.”
Renato sat silent for a moment, puffing his pipe. His gaze was lost to the view of Moscow through the arched window. He seemed to be contemplating his next words. “Do you not trust me?”
She sighed. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just that…I just didn’t want to be the crazy girl again. I spent my whole life with doctors telling me I have PTSD, and that my self-confidence was stripped away by…well, what happened.” She pushed locks of curls away from her face. “I just wanted to keep my clean slate, I guess.”
“And Peter? Do you have any idea what kind of stress you put him under, asking him to withhold that kind of information?”
“Peter,” she whispered, the fresh wound in her heart tearing open again. “Where is he?”
“In the lobby. I asked him to allow us to speak privately.”
She exhaled, hoping some of the heartache would lessen with it. No such luck. “As long as he’s okay—”
“I did not in any way imply that he is okay.” Renato uncrossed his legs and placed both of his feet firmly on the floor. He leaned forward. “What you did to assist us in finding Sarian was a brave act.” He slowly rested his back against the chaise again, his fingers gliding absentmindedly over the etchings of his bone pipe. “But refusing to inform us of your deterioration has come at a price. I spoke with Marzena and there is nothing she can do to lock them away now. There is nothing anyone can do.”
“So…” She bit her lip. “I’m stuck with them?”
“Unfortunately, yes. But now—” He stood and walked toward her, stopping at the foot of her bed. “Now we are faced with yet another question. Who is the boy?”
Flashes of a dark alley, the gleam of a blade, and the metallic smell of blood. “Malachi.”
“How do you know him?”
“I don’t. I mean, not really.” She glanced at the door. “Why? Is he here?”
“No. But he did press the panic button on your cell phone. Peter and I tracked the satellite signal to a bus stop, nearly three miles away.”
She hung her head. What she must have looked like when they arrived. She twisted the blankets in her hands, hoping Renato hadn’t noticed her cheeks flush with heat. It served her right. She didn’t have anyone to blame but herself.
“Malachi was following me around. Then Mr. Green and those guys…” She could still hear the Russian’s blood curdling screams.

There was a knock on the door. Renato glanced over his shoulder. “I believe that’s Peter.” He peered at her with a chastising stare. “It would be humane of you to offer him some explanations. I have never seen him so torn.”





Author Theresa McClinton

A long time enthusiast of things that go bump in the night, Theresa started her writing career as a journalism intern—possibly the least creative writing field out there. After her first semester at a local newspaper, she washed her hands of press releases and features articles to delve into the whimsical world of young adult paranormal romance.

Since then, Theresa has gotten married, had three terrific kids, moved to central Ohio, and was repeatedly guilt tripped into adopting a menagerie of animals that are now members of the family. But don’t be fooled by her domesticated appearance. Her greatest love is travel. Having stepped foot on the soil of over a dozen countries, traveled to sixteen U.S. states—including an extended seven-year stay in Kodiak, Alaska—she is anything but settled down. But wherever life brings her, she will continue to weave tales of adventure and love with the hope her stories will bring joy and inspiration to her readers.


The Stone Guardian

When myth becomes reality, reality becomes a nightmare.
Like any other teenager in America, Ashley just wants a normal life. But growing up in an orphanage for the insane is anything but normal. After endless therapy and increasing medication, her nightmares have only gotten worse.

Probably because they’re not nightmares.

When Ashley’s mysteriously abducted, she finds a reality even less normal than the orphanage. And she discovers something else—she’s no ordinary orphan. Faced with enemies thought to only exist in fairy tales, Ashley discovers she possesses a powerful Maya bloodline. She’s the daughter of an ancient Maya Guardian, whose duty is to protect the Stone of Muuk’ich, an enchanted relic blessed by the gods. But first she must get it back from Sarian, a power-hungry demigod who slaughtered the last guardian—Ashley’s mother. Without the stone, all will be lost.

When she meets Arwan, a hot Belizean time bender, his delicious olive skin and dark eyes make her feel a little less alone. But his gentle whispers and reassuring touch might not be all they seem. How can she balance love and duty when it’s up to her to prevent the rising of the underworld? Especially when the guy she loves might be its crown prince…


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Thursday, May 30, 2013

REVIEW: DESTINY'S FLOWER (Saldiora, #1) by Linda Harley

Title: Destiny’s Flower
Series: Saldiora, #1
Author: Linda Harley
Publisher: Infinity Publishing
Publication Date: September 1, 2012
Genre: Sci-fi
Reviewed by: Ellen Fritz
Source: Received for review from author
Ellen’s star rating: 5/5

SUMMARY

Doctor Lynn Davis is kidnapped by handsome Lord Kyle von Talion and taken to a far off planet, Saldiora. As she finds herself in this unfamiliar culture, she must learn to fight with a sword, ride a talking horse, and endure the politics of a royal court if she is to survive. Kyle has his hands full keeping Lynn from making cultural blunders and ensuring her safety. The Juntu's are plotting to take over Saldiora and consider Lynn to be a threat to their success. Will Lynn live long enough to fulfill her destiny and save the kingdom of Saldiora?

REVIEW

This book starts with the proverbial alien abduction – no, not by little green men, but rather some perfectly normal people. Doctor Lynn Davis is taken on a lengthy, rather perilous space journey which reminded me a bit of something from Star Wars. Although she is put to work as a deck hand as punishment after her attempt to escape and is then subjected to some strenuous training, Lynn finds herself becoming fond of the crew and especially so of Lord Kyle von Talion. The question is, who exactly is the captain and why is she kept away from him? When they reach the planet of saldiora, she is dumped into a whole new world of intrigue, strange creatures, slavery and antagonistic females.

Destiny's Flower is a comfortably paced read with lots of action and never a dull moment. The author uses situations in the story to explain the world of Saldiora and some of the rather unusual beings on it. Being a horse lover, I particularly enjoyed the talking horses. They can plan, aid their riders, have the status of nobility and have servants that work for them – how cool is that?!

The main character, Lynn, is a feisty woman who simply won't stand for the silly and often cruel rules laid down by the tribunal. Stuff the rules, this heroine goes ahead and does exactly as she pleases. When she is reprimanded or punished, she simply persists with her personal rebellion. Whether she ends up becoming the queen or not, she is determined to bring change to the planet and stop slavery. The other characters are unique, well defined and likable. The thoroughly nasty Juntu family and their followers are mean, relentlessly use blackmail and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. And who exactly are Gabilla and Pablo?

I highly recommend Destiny's Flower to readers of all ages. Let's hope that we'll soon see a sequel to this enthralling five-star read.

 



 


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Destiny’s Flower by Linda Harley has 14 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.

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ABOUT the AUTHOR


Linda Harley was born in Durban, South Africa and at the age of 7 developed a love for music and writing. She received her BS and MS in Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA in 2002 and 2004, respectively and in 2011 she received her PhD in Applied Physiology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Linda loves to travel and see the world. Experiencing new cultures and immersing herself into these cultures is a daily adventure for her.

Monday, May 27, 2013

REVIEW: OUTCAST by Adrienne Kress

Title: Outcast
Author: Adrienne Kress
Publisher: Diversion Books
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Genres: YA, Paranormal Romance
Reviewed by: Books4Tomorrow
Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley
My star rating: 4/5

SUMMARY

After six years of “angels” coming out of the sky and taking people from her town, 16-year-old Riley Carver has just about had it living with the constant fear. When one decides to terrorize her in her own backyard, it’s the final straw. She takes her mother’s shotgun and shoots the thing. So it’s dead. Or … not? In place of the creature she shot, is a guy. A really hot guy. A really hot alive and breathing guy. Oh, and he’s totally naked.

Not sure what to do, she drags his unconscious body to the tool shed and ties him up. After all, he’s an angel and they have tricks. When he regains consciousness she’s all set to interrogate him about why the angels come to her town, and how to get back her best friend (and almost boyfriend) Chris, who was taken the year before. But it turns out the naked guy in her shed is just as confused about everything as she is. 

He thinks it’s 1956.

Set in the deep south, OUTCAST is a story of love, trust, and coming of age. It’s also a story about the supernatural, a girl with a strange sense of humor who’s got wicked aim, a greaser from the 50’s, and an army of misfits coming together for one purpose: To kick some serious angel ass.

REVIEW


Usually it’s the cover of a book that attracts me to read it, and this gorgeous cover was no different. It reminded me of the covers for the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris, one of my all-time favorite authors. But what really got me wanting to read Outcast, was the premise. I’m not really fond of books with angel themes. I’ve read too many such books that didn’t add anything new to angels and humans falling in love; but this one sounded different. These angels didn’t sound like ones with whom you’d want to fall in love. These angels sounded bad-ass – exactly my kind of angels.

From the moment Riley shoots an angel in the face, the author starts building the suspense. Gabe, the angel Riley shot, believes it’s the year 1956 and he has no memory of being an angel coming to a small town once a year to abduct humans. From here on out the story moves really quickly as Gabe and Riley become friends and he gets a second chance at being a normal teenager, in stark contrast to the short-tempered, troublemaking teenager he was in back 1956. But the story is not as straightforward as it seems. Riley makes a lot of discoveries about Gabe, his past, and herself throughout the story, and she also discovers that she has a guardian angel and she is not who – or is it what? - she thinks she is.

Up until 79% into the story, it was a five-star read all the way. I simply couldn’t put it down and was glued to my seat, ignoring everyone and everything around me until I had finished the book. The author maintains a sense of foreboding throughout the story and a lot of creepy things happen to Riley as she tries to piece together everything that is happening in her small town, and how she and a ragtag group of townspeople can form a little army to stop these yearly events from taking place. Fuelling the tension is the Church of the Angels run by Pastor Warren, which borders on being a religious sect brainwashing just about everybody in town, and giving Pastor Warren a hold over law enforcement. I loved this part of the story most because cults fuelled by religious fervor and insane leaders frighten the heck out of me and the author builds on this fear really well. On top of all this Riley still has to deal with her feelings for Gabe, while Gabe is off dating almost every girl in their high school. Talk about plot twists, right?  

Anyway, like I said it was a five-star read up until 79% into the story when, in my opinion, it became a little absurd. I don’t want to say here exactly what happened, because that would be a huge spoiler, but once Riley discovers what she is, the story lost a little of its appeal. I felt that what Riley became was unnecessary and the story would’ve had more of an impact if what happened at the end is something Riley accomplished as a normal human girl, and not as something else. It would’ve been far more impressive. I felt that her discovery of what she truly is, was only used as a plot device. The author did a fantastic job building up expectations for an action-filled ending, but sadly she does not deliver and the finale felt more like a balloon slowly deflating. The conclusion just didn’t pack that satisfying punch I was expecting through the build-up of events. The reveals for Pastor Warren’s floating and the strange voices being heard through the walls in the Church of the Angels, were mediocre and seemed more like an afterthought than an actual reveal. I guess a lot of things would’ve made much more sense if this was the first book in a series.

Apart from these few complaints, I really enjoyed the story. It’s refreshingly different and though the characters aren’t anything remarkable, they’re really likeable. A few explanations for things that happen in the story seemed too convenient, but all in all this is a terrific read with lots of humor and suspense and I’ll definitely read more books by this author.  

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. 


  
  

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Outcast by Adrienne Kress has 20 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.

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ABOUT the AUTHOR

Adrienne Kress is a Toronto born actor and author who loves to play make-believe. She also loves hot chocolate. And cheese. Not necessarily together.

She is the author of two children's novels: ALEX AND THE IRONIC GENTLEMAN and TIMOTHY AND THE DRAGON'S GATE (Scholastic). Her debut YA novel, THE FRIDAY SOCIETY, launched in the Fall 2012 from Dial, Penguin and her first ever quirky YA paranormal romance, OUTCAST, comes out June 4th, 2013 with Diversion Books.

Adrienne is a theatre graduate of the Univeristy of Toronto and London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in the UK. Published around the world, ALEX was featured in the New York Post as a "Post Potter Pick," as well as on the CBS early show. It won the Heart of Hawick Children's Book Award in the UK and was nominated for the Red Cedar. The sequel, TIMOTHY, was nominated for the Audie, Red Cedar and Manitoba Young Readers Choice Awards, and was recently optioned for film. THE FRIDAY SOCIETY was nominated for a Quill Award, and has been optioned for television.

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Saturday, May 25, 2013

REVIEW: THE 5th WAVE (The 5th Wave, #1) by Rick Yancey


Title: The 5th Wave
Series: The 5th Wave, #1
Author: Rick Yancey
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Genres: YA, Sci-fi, Dystopian
Reviewed by: Books4Tomorrow
My star rating: 4/5

SUMMARY

The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

REVIEW


The 1st wave knocked us back to the eighteenth century. The next two slammed us into the Neolithic.

I’ve read so many dystopian novels this year; I’ve decided to take a break from this genre for a while. The last nail in this coffin for me was Veronica Roth’s Divergent. In all of the post-apocalyptic/dystopian novels I’ve read the past eighteen months, the world pretty much ends the same way, and as much as I’ve enjoyed most of these books, I was looking for something new. I’ve only seen rave reviews for Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave and though it’s also a dystopian novel, it sounded different from the usual. I wasn’t disappointed. The world in this post-apocalyptic work of art ended way differently from other end-of-the-world novels and there’s not one zombie or wayward rebel group (not counting the aliens) in sight.

Layer upon layer, discovery after discovery; this book is a treasure trove of surprises. Who would imagine that while the planet is under attack, Disney World is setting new attendance records? Personally, I think the third wave was the most severe. Using birds to wipe out about four billion people in three months? Brilliant! Aliens: 1, Humans: 0. But the underlying theme which drives this compelling novel is clear: if you take humanity down, make sure humanity stays down, because if and when we get back up, we’re coming for you – and it ain’t gonna be pretty, my friend.

Two hundred pages into the story, I still had no clue what type of extra terrestrials we were dealing with and why they’re attacking our planet, but I was as afraid of them as the characters were. The author built up and prolonged the suspense magnificently. I had many theories and suspicions the closer I got to the ending, but they were systematically blown out of the water one unpredictable plot twist at a time. I understand now why this book has received so much hype and enthusiastic reviews. It has all the bells and whistles, with heartbreaking scenes strewn liberally throughout. When they took Cassie’s little brother, Sammie, and Cassie’s dad made him get on that school bus with the rest of the kids collected by the military, I nearly bawled my eyes out. It was so darn heart-wrenching.

Yancey creates a believable dystopian world with ultra realistic characters and a storyline loaded with chilling scenes that could make you view alien life forms in an entirely new way. What I didn’t like about the story, but which didn’t necessarily dampen my enjoyment of it, is that the reader is expected to fill in a lot of the blanks. That in itself is not a bad thing, but to me it was like building a puzzle with a couple of pieces missing, which means I couldn’t complete the whole picture; and because the story is told from multiple points of view, I constantly felt I was missing something. The explanation for the aliens was quite interesting and most certainly unique, but somehow I’m still not getting the bigger picture. If I did, I wouldn’t have hesitated to give this sci-fi masterpiece a solid five-star rating, but I finished it with many questions left unanswered.

Oh, and uh, Rick Yancey is no stranger to sappy romance, just so you know. He writes it well, and I guess for our protagonists to be able to get one up on the alien scumbags, the romance is a necessary device for this plot. But “yummy brown eyes”? Puh-lease. I ploughed through the mushy parts and am proud to say I refrained from rolling my eyes.

Drones falling from the sky, explosions tearing up the ground, buildings collapsing, guns blazing, running from those who might be friend or foe…the last few chapters leading up to, and including the adrenaline-fuelling finale, has more than enough action in it to put any Bruce Willis movie to shame. These are only a few of the elements I expect from an extraordinary, magnificently well-written sci-fi novel, and Yancey delivers it with flair. And don’t forget Bear. Sammie’s bear. He’s also an essential part of the story: instrumental in providing comfort when and where comfort is needed while running and hiding from the enemy. I have no doubt in my mind that this book would make an award-winning blockbuster movie. For fans of dystopian novels with snarky humor and a tightly packed plot; and those who like to read about extra terrestrials not even remotely related to the cuteness of Spielberg’s E.T., I highly recommend The 5th Wave.





FAVORITE QUOTES  
(from The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey)

It’s hard to plan for what comes next when what comes next is not something you planned for.

It isn’t about destroying our capability to fight so much as crushing our will to fight.

The strong ones-and only the strong ones-will survive.

Cruelty isn’t a personality trait. Cruelty is a habit.

   
FANGIRLING

My theme-song choice for The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey is Get Out Alive by Three Days Grace.



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The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey has 787 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.



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ABOUT the AUTHOR

Rick is a native Floridian and a graduate of Roosevelt University in Chicago. He earned a B.A. in English which he put to use as a field officer for the Internal Revenue Service. Inspired and encouraged by his wife, he decided his degree might also be useful in writing books and in 2004 he began writing full-time.

Since then he has launched two critically acclaimed series: The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, for young readers, and The Highly Effective Detective, for adults. Both books are set in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Rick lived for ten years before returning to Florida. 


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Friday, May 24, 2013

REVIEW: UNPREDICTABLE by Eileen Cook


Title: Unpredictable
Author: Eileen Cook
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: December 28, 2012
Genres: Romance, Humor
Reviewed by: Books4Tomorrow
Source: Purchased
My star rating: 5/5

SUMMARY

From the author of Do or Di and Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood, comes a new laugh out loud romantic comedy. Sophie Kintock isn't crazy, she just wants her guy back. And posing as a psychic to give his new girlfriend a face reading designed to break them up isn't going overboard, is it? 

Faking psychic powers turns out to be easy and fun, especially after a few lessons from Nick, the cute (if a bit nerdy) skeptic, who knows all the tricks of the trade. But her readings do a lot more than she could have predicted, and soon Sophie needs to figure out whether the answers lie in the stars-or in herself.

REVIEW


There’s really not that much to say about this little treasure. First of all it reminded me very much of the main character in Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series. Coincidentally, the main character in Unpredictable goes by the name of Sophie Kintock. See the resemblance in their names? Like Becky Bloomwood in the Shopaholic series, Sophie Kintock is also a very self-centred character who puts her own needs before the needs of others, and is endearingly clueless about it all. Mishaps and bad luck seem to follow her wherever she goes, but it attributes to the comedic value of the story.

I loved that the person she falls in love with at the end isn’t a typically hot guy with a lopsided grin and gorgeous eyes (which describes every guy in just about every YA book I’ve read in the past eighteen months), but rather an interesting intellectual with a Clark Kent-like handsomeness (CK when he’s not in superhero mode). For this alone I give this book a well-deserved five stars. He was more in the background of the story, but still he won me over in the first half of the book and I was rooting for him and Sophie to fall in love with each other. No forced or mushy romance either which made this an utterly enjoyable read for me.  

All and all this is a light-hearted, fun read which is bound to have you in stitches. Despite it needing a good round of editing and someone explaining to the author the difference between “then” and “than”, I can’t give it anything less than five stars. Fans of Sophie Kinsella’s books will love Sophie Kintock, her vengeful Scottish terrier, Mac, her best friend Jane – the sleep deprived mother of two energetic kids - and Sophie’s cheating heartthrob boyfriend who is even more naïve and oblivious than she is. Unpredictable is great as a Summer read next to the pool.  





 


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Unpredictable by Eileen Cook has 112 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.

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ABOUT the AUTHOR


Eileen Cook spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else. 




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Thursday, May 23, 2013

REVIEW: CHILDREN OF YDEN by S.G. Rogers


Title: Children of Yden
Series: The Last Great Wizard of Yden, #2
Author: S.G. Rogers
Publisher: Astraea Press
Publication Date: January 3, 2013
Genres: YA, Fantasy
Reviewed by: Ellen Fritz
Source: Received from author for review
Ellen’s star rating: 5/5

SUMMARY

The children of Yden are returning home, and it’s time to choose sides. The Fox Clan is building an army, but its motives and goals are unclear. As Jon begins his magical training, a reckless skirmish with Guinn of the Fox Clan has unforeseen repercussions. Not only has he placed himself in danger, but nobody around him is safe. When Jon discovers Guinn is looking for a secret weapon, a magical artifact called the Portal Key, he vows to find it first. Jon does not yet realize the Fox Clan’s most potent weapon in its quest for power will be his heart.

REVIEW

Children of Yden continues the story of John Hansen, Kira, Brett and their friends. After Efysian, who had been slain at the end of the previous book, The Last Great Wizard of Yden, had killed or drained all mature wizards of their magic, there was very little magic left on this magical planet. Quixoran, John's grandfather, decides to find as many of the children of the drained or slain wizards as possible and take them on as apprentices on Dragon Isle. Unfortunately, Guinn of the Fox Clan have a similar idea. In the end, he who has the most wizards could wield the power and overthrow or aid the new government of Yden. A race to find all the young wizards who had been hiding on earth to escape the slaughter, ensues.

This book is comfortably paced and most definitely a page turner. Riveting action and nail biting suspense is skillfully balanced by scenes of teenage fun and very interesting descriptions of wizards in training. The dragons and their growing baby dragons add a touch of magical nature to the story. Oh, and let me not forget the giggling plants in Quixoran's garden! All of the above mentioned combined with many more fantastic beings and phenomena prove that the author did some marvelously unique world building.

The main character, John Hansen, is a likable and highly realistic young man. He is not above petty jealousy and uncalled for aggression but he does have a strong sense of duty when it comes to protecting his own. He is also not an unrealistic he-man who blunders into everything, and shows some very good judgment at times when he chooses to run for his life rather than fight against a superior force. All the other characters are well crafted. From the Scottish siblings to the enigmatic and brave Fin; you'll love them all. The descriptions of the typical awkwardness of teenagers and teenage survival in the modern world are spot on and often humorous.

I highly recommend Children of Yden as a must read but I would advise readers to get hold of The Last Wizard of Yden and read that first. A standing ovation for a five star read and a gifted author.

 




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ABOUT the AUTHOR

Originally from Southern California, S.G. Rogers has also lived in Asheville, North Carolina and Laurel, Mississippi. Currently residing in beautiful Savannah, Georgia, S.G. Rogers writes historical romance, fantasy, and romantic fantasy stories.  She’s owned by two hairless cats, Houdini and Nikita, and lives on an island populated by exotic birds, deer and the occasional gator. Tab is her beverage of choice, but when she imbibes, a cranberry vodka martini doesn’t go amiss. She spent several years in Hollywood, studying acting and writing. Rogers holds black belts in several different martial arts and likes to consider herself a warrior princess. Always an avid reader of young adult fiction, she wrestles with her teen for all the newest titles.

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