Category: High Fantasy

+Blog Book Tour+ Star of Deliverance by Mandy Madson Voisin

Posted Tuesday, 30 September, 2014 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

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Star of Deliverance by Mandy Madson Voisin

Published By: Sweetwater Books (@SweetwaterBooks),
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)

Official Author Websites:  Site @MandyVoisin | Facebook

Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse via: #StarofDeliverance

Acquired Book By: 

I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “Star of Deliverance” direct from the publisher Sweetwater Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Inspired to Read:

I felt a hitching in my chest growing as I read the opening chapter to Star of Deliverance as the last YA Fantasy which held my attention with such a rapt fierceness and knowing awareness my ears would not singe as the context would be a clean read was whilst I read Uncovering Cobbogoth; the very first Sweetwater Books title I read in late Spring! Stepping forward into this novel after I was under the weather for a short spell was not the easiest of tasks, as I had attempted to read it a few times without a success of soaking into the vein of it’s narrative. What originally drew me to alight on this particular title when it came around for a blog tour is the simple fact that I am betwixt vexation and frustration to sort through the new world of Young Adult; as I expanded on recently here and here. I knew if I elected to read a title by Sweetwater Books I would know going in I was going to be greeted by an intensely lit world and a character who more than likely would need to embark on a quest that I could attach myself to rallying behind.

One of the reasons I love the Fantasy genre as much as I do is because it is a bit of a collection of coming-of age histories from various walks of life all alighting in fantastically original worlds where the boundaries of our realm and their’s are set to different rules and different cultural attachments; yet at the heart of fantasy and reality lies one true central thread: the pursuit of freedom and the choice to live a free life pursuing one’s dreams. I love the epic heart of Fantasy as much as I like digging into an imagined world left behind for us to unravell one layer at a time. Seeing where each new world represents it’s own kind and how they choose to interact with others who are different from their own race is part of the dynamic of discovery. Diplomacy and humanistic tendencies are generally front-runners but there are also causes for uprisings from oppression and a growing sense of urgency to come out from a ruler who attempts to repress the spirit of his or her nation.

This one felt to me to garnish a bit of a new nexus of plausible thought – to seek out a remedy of hidden truth to free your people from a sickness that is not yet disclosed. In that one flicker of a plot thread I found myself attracted to finding out what the illness was being caused by, of whom was responsible for not giving the people a method towards healing, and what was the greater good and/or darkness surrounding the world at large that drew such a measure of strength out of an unexpected heroine?

Fantasy is one thread of literature I always find inspiring on several levels, but the most enchanting part of reading Fantasy for me is the wicked adventures you get to take whilst riding coattail close to the principle characters and seeing what they see in quite an extraordinary sensory exploration! I will be expressing my love of this genre more during #RRSciFiMonth (Sci-Fi November) – for now simply know it was always at the heart of what I read as a child.

I marked this as a “Re-Told Tale” for Cinderella (The Little Glass Slipper) by Brothers Grimm as I found a reference to how this story took on the previous incantation of an enslaved girl who sought individual freedom as much as cared about others around her which led me to believe it could be a re-telling of the classic canon. Although I do believe it was intended as a representation of Esther’s life as her voice is quoted at the start of the novel itself.

+Blog Book Tour+ Star of Deliverance by Mandy Madson VoisinStar of Deliverance
by Mandy Madson Voisin
Source: Direct from Publisher

Emi was born an outcast but raised as a healer. So when a young boy stumbles into her village with a rare disease, she knows that it's up to her to find the cure in the one place that abhors her people - the capital. But when Emi arrives, she's unwittingly thrust into a competition to win the crown prince's heart.

Staying in the game will give her time to search for the cure, but is it worth risking her life?

Get swept up in this epic teen fantasy that pulls you in from the very first page. Filled with intrigue, mystery, and romance, Star of Deliverance is guaranteed to keep you guessing.

Genres: YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Published by Sweetwater Books

on 9th September, 2014

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

Author Biography: 

Mandy Madson Voisin

Mandy Madson Voisin grew up reading fairy tales and knew from a young age she wanted to write them. She graduated from Bringham Young University with a degree in English and starting writing Star of Deliverance soon thereafter. She currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband Kevin.

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The world of Deshan:

The ordinances of rule for the villagers who maintain the orchards for the High King fall under Feudal Europe or the rulers of 16th Century Japan (as parts of this story brought back happy memories of the Shinobi mysteries) inasmuch as I remembered the archaic control tactics for needing passes to move between territories and provinces to be a part of my beloved Leland Dragon series. There is a high level of security amongst those who are ordered to guard the commoners and those who are living at the palace – there is a disconnect between the two factions, as those who work in the orchards and outlying villages do not appear to receive news from outside their own living spheres.

The intricacies of knowledge of the world-building itself are clearly evident as Voisin has spent a considerable amount of time fine tuning the texture of her world as much as crafting the history of her people within it’s pages. I always appreciate the amount of time a writer takes to breathe such clarity of ‘time’ and of ‘place’ to their fantasy worlds – they are generally reminiscent of another time within our own known histories but even if they are completely created to stand on a unique ground of their own creation, it is how they can fuse to paper in such a way as to be ‘known’ as a truthful account that I credit the most in appreciation. Cobbogoth felt this way, Leland Province felt this way, even adventures of Father Mateo and Hiro felt viscerally real rather than obtusely created. The further I read into Star of Deliverance more of the world Voisin had created for us to find revealed itself in quiet whispers and it was an entreaty that delighted me.

My Review of Star of Deliverance:

A quick fire urgency is clearly evident as soon as you open the first pages of Star of Deliverance, as the inertia of how quickly the pace of the story is set consumes you as each new page is turnt. Emi is the adopted daughter of a village healer, gifted with a light of knowledge unseen of his kind and he bespoke of Emi to become his protégé years ago to save her from the enslaved life of their peers. Studying every facet of natural medicine Cen can etch into her memory, Emi grew inside the humble clinic as a nursing ground of nurturing the spirit of those who came to them as well as their physical wounds. Cen is an enlightened healer as evidenced by his methodology of practice and his approach to understand the whole of the person rather than by cluing into the symptoms alone.

There is a clear absence of law and order within the confines of truth, honour, and justice in this world – people are imprisoned without trial and without jury; taken from their families without fault of their own nor of any chance to recover a redemption of honour. They are erased as simply as extinguishing the lighted flame of a candle’s wick without consideration for their humanity nor their rights to live without the fear of being killed without prosecution. Despite the heaviness of the Dystopian world repressing the lives of those who work under arduous conditions to nib out a small living that doesn’t even give them a viable wage; Voisin creates a vacuum of light by the actions of the few who believe in keeping hope alive at all costs.

The closer Emi gains into the entrance of being wholly accepted at the palace the more my mind darted off to remembering why I loved watching Ever After; as she was a princess in the making as much as Danielle. Two girls who refused to live an ordinary life and who stood up for those who held no voice of their own to fix an accord against their circumstances. Emi has the cunning sense of knowing how to fudge her way through a unique turn of events that land her within ‘enemy walls’ so to speak and a spunky way of asserting herself without drawing her hand forward out of the lies she is spinning to covertly cover her real identity. The caste system is alive and well inside Deshan, as much as the fever of anxiety amongst those who work for the King and his family’s royal court. Everyone is vexed with concern over the growing disease that is taking root amongst both races of people: the Savian and the Brockan alike.

Before you even reach the centermost section of the novel, you realise you only know half of the story overall. What had felt like a revelation to understand the plausibility of the situation unfolding for those who need the cure and if the cure could be procured in time to save them; was not entirely what it first seemed to be at all. The curiosity for me was in following Emi’s lead as she continued to knit together the pieces of the expanding shroud of mystery tied into this mysterious disease and the origins of why it was coming back after being dormant for such a long time. The undercurrent thread of pursuing a royal honour is counter-center to the true beacon of where the ultimate hope lies for the people of Emi’s world. You cannot help to gather yourself into a comfortable spot to read her story whilst taking a respite from your own life and world to understand her own. To feel what she is feeling as she uncovers far more about her world than she ever felt she could dare hope to learn. And, to find the courage she needs at the moment it would mean the most to her people. This is a story to transcend out of history and inspire a new generation to stand for what is right even if there is a surge against what is true and where the light shines the brightest.

Mandy Madson Voisin has a historical voice curated out of the world of fairy-tales:

Reading Star of Deliverance if writ by another writer might have felt oppressively heavily with gutting emotions and an endless route towards a maddeningly cry for justice; however, with Voisin at the reins the opposite ended up being closer to the truth! You felt uplifted by how strong the oppressed were given their humble surroundings and the ache they had inside them whilst they fought for even the barest of necessities to live. They had a courage and a humility inside them to carry-on forward even if all they had to thrive upon was hope and the renewal of strength that comes from a promise of a better day still yet to be seen. Voisin carries this internal resolve through her characters and off-sets the stench of the darkness arising out of the command of those who would rather see the commoners expunged.

Voisin has a true gift for lending a historical voice whilst being curated out of the world of fairy-tales where anything can be conquered if self-confidence and self-belief is strong enough to overcome any hurdle that befalls you. She has entombed an incredible story inside her debut novel and I would find it remarkable if anyone does not feel lifted in spirit as much as strengthened by Emi’s resolve.

A very small spoiler:
View Spoiler »

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This Blog Tour Stop is courtesy of Cedar Fort, Inc:

Cedar Fort Publishing & Media

Virtual Road Map of “Star of Deliverance” Blog Tour can be found here:

Star of Deliverance Blog Tour via Cedar Fort Publishing & Media

Click-through to mark your calendars for:

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I positively *love!* comments in the threads below each of my posts, kindly know that I appreciate each thought you want to share with me and all the posts on my blog are open to new comments & commentary! Short or long, I appreciate the time you spent to leave behind a note of your visit! Return again soon! 

{SOURCES: Author photograph, Book Cover of “Star of Deliverance”, the Cedar Fort badge, the Book Synopsis, and the Author Biography were provided by Cedar Fort, Inc. and used by permission. Blog Tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Bookish Events badge created by Jorie in Canva. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

The tweets I posted after I read “Star of Deliverance”:

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • Go Indie
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Posted Tuesday, 30 September, 2014 by jorielov in Apothecary, Blog Tour Host, Brothers and Sisters, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Coming-Of Age, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debilitating Diagnosis & Illness, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Disabilities & Medical Afflictions, Equality In Literature, Fairy Tale Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Father-Daughter Relationships, Good vs. Evil, Herbalist, High Fantasy, Indie Author, Life Shift, Light vs Dark, Medical Fiction, Naturopathic Medicine, Re-Told Tales, Realistic Fiction, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

Jorie’s Box of Joy No.3 : High Fantasy, Historical Suspense, and a jolt of inspirational fiction!

Posted Tuesday, 13 May, 2014 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Jorie's Box of Joy | A Feature of Jorie Loves A Story

One of the happiest moments for a book blogger is eagerly going to their postbox & seeing what delightfully wicked print books have arrived for their reading pleasure! I have always held a keen interest in postal mail, being a long-term postal letter correspondent which has given me such a heart of joy seeing envelopes & bundles of love arrive from dear friends around the world. Imagine my new excitement in seeing the books I am reviewing arriving by publisher, author, publicist, or literary agent! Such an exciting new chapter in postal splendor!

I have been wanting to blog about my excitement about being placed on certain blog tours and/or in receiving books for review direct from authors, publishers, or publicists. I originally came across a weekly meme on Mondays entitled Mailbox Monday and you could say, that my new feature on Jorie Loves A Story is an extended idea from the original! Except to say, with one minor switch-up! Although I attempt to write down when books arrive by Post, I am never quite as certain when the books arrive as I am always reading the next book in hand! Therefore, please join me as I get excited about the books on my shelf which are next in line to read!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Chain of Mercy by Brenda Anderson

As I outlined in my Interview with Ms. Anderson the best joy any book blogger can have prior to reading a novel is being clued into the process the writer took towards publication! In this way, I feel double-blessed to not only be a part of my first Author Street Team to help get the word out about their novels and writing style, but to have watched the genesis of Anderson’s journey as aspiring writer to published author! As I start to soak into Chain of Mercy, I will be reflective of how I learnt about her blog as much as how I started to get to know her through the blog posts she shares with the world. In her debut novel, she tackles hard-hitting circumstances that start to have a ripple effect on the people who are involved and engaged in the drama. What I appreciated is finding out that she does not back down from writing about topics and subjects that others might shy away from as I always felt that one thing inspirational fiction sometimes misses the boat to include are honest & real story-lines with characters facing real-life issues in an endearingly honest way. Everyone is going through something at some point in their lives but I believe that if writers stitch in the ability to see that all of life is possible with faith, than a greater good is being served than only writing stories which gloss over the more poignant of narratives.

The book cover of Chain of Mercy is matte not glossy finish, and I like that as it has a different texture to most softcover editions! When I first pulled the book out of the parcel it arrived in I had thought the book cover might have been off-setted to appear as a sepia photograph. There is a Discussion Guide & Acknowledgements section in the back of the novel as well as a Dedication in the front. To me the image on the front of the cover makes me curious a bit more about the phrase of the title ‘chain of mercy’ and how a simple chain with a key fits into the heart of the story?

My review posts on Sunday, 18th of May, whereas my Interview with Ms. Anderson posts on Tuesday, 13th of May!

Chimerical World Vol 1 Anthology by Seventh Star Press
Artwork Credit by: Enggar Adirasa

When Seventh Star Press (an Indie Publisher I regularly review for through the blog touring & social media promotion company: Tomorrow Comes Media; of whom I highly recommend any reader to look into reviewing for as they offer a review to read programme) sets to mind to create an anthology they never fail to impress me with their ability to bring together cutting-edge writers with stories that alight in the imagination of a reader’s soul. My first fantasy anthology read and reviewed (coincidentally!) was on behalf of Chronicles of Ave by Stephen Zimmer. In this selection of mine to read next, after having appreciated a short story by Michael Cross in another Indie Press anthology I chose to focus on my love of faeries & fey folk! (note to the Editor Sandridge, I never did know the right way to have spelt ‘faeries’ so I thank him for the Foreward!) I am not sure how there is a misunderstanding about the personalities of the fey or of how they are not always as endearing as Tinkerbell as let’s face it, she was one particular kind of faerie but not the norm by a long shot! What I appreciate about the fey is there ability to transform our understanding of their culture and habits by presenting their uniqueness through the different writers who pen their stories.

I love seeing the cover art illustrations and designs of Seventh Star Press book covers as they always include full illustrative covers as well as illustrative plates within their releases; with the exception of this anthology which does not have plates inside to correlate with the shorts.

My review posts on Monday, 19th of May, alongside my Interview with Mr. Sandridge, the editor of the anthology!

The Collector of Dying Breaths by M.J. Rose

I have truly undertaken reading the Reincarnationist series a wee bit late in the game as far as my book review for The Collector of Dying Breaths is concerned, but I am a determined optimist who believes that as long as their are hours left to read there is time enough to drink through a series which has bewitched my attention for several years now! When I first took note that this particular book was going to go on tour, the only thing I had to sort out was if I could read the entire series in time to tour with France Book Tours OR with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours — I chose the latter as the time schedule fit my reading schedule a bit easier! I am thankful to tour with such beautiful blog touring companies who give their book bloggers & readers the ability to not only discover unknown writers but to review for well-established writers we are just on the brink of knowing ourselves! In this, my gratitude is always theirs for giving us these opportunities! What sparked my interest is the aspect of reincarnation stitched into the series as a whole as I used to collect books on reincarnation when The Reincarnation Library was still in existence, which was a small publisher who curated titles which had fallen out of print and then, re-issued the books in such lovely editions as cloth-bound hardback copies! The titles were both non-fiction and fiction dealing with as many different aspects of reincarnation as you could be happenstance to stumble across! In the series Rose has created, the idea of coming across tools to add one’s memory of past lives is more than tempting to explore!

My review posts on Friday, 30th of May, whereas my Interview with M.J. Rose posts on Monday, 19th of May one day after the Bout of Books 10.0 readathon concludes in which I read the entire Reincarnationist series!

A Mage of None Magic by A. Christopher Drown
Artwork Credit: A. Christopher Drown

Ever since I first heard of this particular tale arriving via Seventh Star Press in late 2013, I have been on pins awaiting its release! I had no idea what to expect since I first read the premise of the tale inside its covers, so when I saw the book emerge out of the book parcel I received (as all three of these SSP titles arrived together!) I was pleasantly surprised by the cover art & the girth of the story! I am always happily surprised to pull a book out of its package and finding rather joyfully that the depth of length is far longer than I had predicted! I love long stories as I love to get to know characters and spend a proper age visiting with them! With fantasy stories, you truly need the length in order to soak into the author’s breadth of work, and I do not think I will be disappointed by Drown’s début! I love the suspense of the shot you find yourself looking into,… from the bloke on the left casting his sights out to sea, and how the lighthouse reflects the light whilst the moon is clearly visible in the upper left corner? Tall ships and a story shrouded in myth! What more could you hope to find in a début novel? I still remember the first Imaginairum Twitter Party in November 2013 when we all came together to chat about writing, creativity, and the pending celebration of a new kind of bookish convention centered on the joy of story-telling in all its mediums. It was in this Twitter Party I had the pleasure of interacting with the author, and sadly I have not seen another Twitter Party engaged with the convention at the time of this writing. I think it would be a great resource to unite writers who want to attend the convention but also with getting in touch with fellow writers, book bloggers, and readers. Conversations always open doors and on that level, I am thankful it opened the door for me to discover a new author of high fantasy!

I elected to post an Interview with the author, A. Christopher Drown instead.

Awesome Jones by AshleyRose Sullivan
Artwork Credit: AshleyRose Sullivan

I am not sure about you but whenever I find a genre-bender author who is going to put together two seemingly diverse methodologies of story-telling together I get all giddy with excitement at the prospect of reading their stories! In this particular case, around the time I learnt of A Mage of None Magic, I caught wind of a Press Release for Awesome Jones! And, lucky me this makes my third blog tour with TCM within the same week of hosting the anthology! If all bodes well, in a new-future installment of this feature I will be chattering about Hero’s Best Friend! (the latest fantasy anthology I signed up to tour!) Although I like to dig below the superficial level of all stories, you have to admit: Awesome Jones is a strong spitfire sounding name that begs to have a heroine worthy of Lara Croft OR James Bond! I am an appreciator of old-school comics and action heroes. Think Burt Ward, Adam West, and Christopher Reeves. Subtract every Bond except for Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, or George Lazenby and you know how I roll with my smashingly strong heroes! You could even backtrack through my SFN (Sci-Fi November/Month) posts and see a thread of connection between the iconic pop cultural attachments I am passionate for and the particular bent on original contributions therein that I stand by and defend. As soon as I freed this book from its parcel I *had!* to take a peek into its covers!! I held the breath of excitement Lois Lane from The New Adventures of Super-Man might have held captive as she exhaled a glimpse inside,… comic illustrations beseeched me eyes and an adventurous narrative glistened in reflective light!

My review posts on Thursday, 22nd of May.

Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton

Normally when I seek out an author I am going to review a book of on Twitter, I am curious to know a bit more about them as a person, as a writer, and technically to see what they tweet about in general! I think that is simply human nature to be ‘curious’! What I happily found whilst visiting the feeds of Ms. Thornton is that she’s a fellow Whovian who *gets my passion!* for Doctor Who! We were exchanging regular tweets in an on-going conversation about all things Whovian, until my personal life started to interfere with my blog life and thus, my tweets started to disappear in regularity! I am hoping she did not think I stopped the conversation full-stop for any other reason, as when I saw The Day of the Doctor (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special) arrive via my local library, she was one of two people I wanted to tell! (Violet Patterson being the first!) However, since its arrived I have not even had a free moment to watch it and very well could boomerang back into my hold queue! Hence the reason I have not tweeted as I did not want to disappoint either one of them! Meanwhile, this beautiful book arrived which an Egyptian gracing the cover who made me wonder why I ever decided ‘not’ to study Egyptology (until of course I remember what happens when you explore tombs…)! I have been wanting to break out of my rhythm of reading Victorian & Regency historical novels and sink my teeth into eras and epochs of history which used to whet a strong palette of interest as a child and as a young adult. This selection I made is my way of saying there is no time like the present to discover an author who has the knack for bringing the past forward into the present in a visceral way as to leave you wanton for more! And, perhaps I can pick up our Whovian convo as soon as I discover what happens between my beloved Matt Smith and my newly beloved David Tennant! (come now! I cannot be the first Whovian who lost her heart to one Doctor only to be taken by surprise by another?) And, can I just say the Egyptians would *love and adore!* all the Whovian’s who chatter endlessly about which Doctor they prefer over the other and of whom has won the best affection overall!

My review posts on Friday, 23rd of May.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

I positively love receiving books straight from authors in exchange for honest reviews, and the three books I am about to mention next hold a special place in my heart, as two of them were previously only released in e-book format and one I was scheduled to review for a follow-up tour of the first novel which was unfortunately cancelled. Never one to give up hope when one is determined to read a book, I always light a candle that one day all the lovely stories I hope to read will one day alight in my hands. Here is a story of three such stories:

Loves Promises by Sandra Leesmith
Artwork Credit: Lena Goldfinch

I hosted Ms. Leesmith on my blog for a Book Cover Reveal (E-book ahead of Print Edition) as well as for a lovely Green Publishing Author Interview focused showcase where I researched green-minded publishing practices and knitted together the theme of thinking green within the context of the story which contains environmental conservation, preservation, and green building practices. Imagine my pure joy in finding out that the book not only went to print, but I had a spark of inspiration for the author to re-consider the book going into print publication! Seeing the book arrive by Post was a true blessing all the way around, and I cannot wait to soak into the story now that I have felt as though I have followed it from e-book debut to print edition unveiling! I was even blessed with the author’s whose quotation about the novel is featured on the back-cover (Ms. Julie Lessman) to have made a stop during her time on my blog! I had not known of their connection to each other or to Seekerville which is an author group blog that I used to frequent! Thankfully, included in the back pages of this edition are the titles of Ms. Leesmith’s back-list which blessedly are all available in print editions! Including the two books which are connected to this one in a series: Love’s Refuge & Love’s Miracles! The book cover is matte and I must confess I am starting to love the texture differences between glossy & matte! The colours are brilliantly brought to life and I did not notice any variance between the e-book cover & the print edition as the book looks exactly as I thought it would once it was in my hands!

My review is forthcoming this Summer! on the 28th of July, 2014!

Portals, Passages, & Pathways by B.R. Maul

I have equally spent quite a lot of time with Portals, Passages, & Pathways as I was given the lovely opportunity to host the author for both a Guest Post on his inspiration for creating the world of Magnanthia as much as host a Book Spotlight Announcement to get the word out about this in-depth debut fantasy novel! I felt a connection to the premise as it was given to me in consideration for hosting the author on my blog, and from that moment forward I have felt like I took a journey with this book as much as I had with Ms. Leesmith’s! This novel was originally intended only to be released in e-book format, but thankfully made it into print edition, which is why I am ever so thankful to have received a copy for review! The cover art illustration is even more eye-popping in person, and you quite literally feel as though you could just ‘jump through the portal’ and join them! A Table of Contents helps get you oriented a bit, but the best bit of all is the girth: 470 pages! One of the best moments for me as a book blogger is when I can start to become a book cheerleader on an author’s behalf! Where I get excited about their journey & their experiences towards publication as much as being able to rally behind them as they take their first tentative steps out into the world of readership and audience! Which leads me to my next book I want to feature today as it has a story about how it arrived by Post as well!

My review will post in mid-to-late July!

The Dragon's Pawn by Mitchell S. Karnes

I participated in the first book (The Pact) of the Canaanshade Journeys series blog tour with TLC Book Tours and was scheduled to participate in the sequel The Dragon’s Pawn tour as well. Except to say the tour was unexpectedly cancelled, and although tours have become cancelled in the past, this was one of two books I recently contacted the author personally to see what might have caused the cancellation. The other book is Uncovering Cobbogoth in which I will host & review for the publisher Cedar Fort Publishing & Media. On behalf of The Dragon’s Pawn I was first compelled to request this sequel due to a note which was left in the comment threads by the author himself of my original review. There were bits and bobbles of the story as far as general scope, layering, and back-story I was not privy too nor able to deduce from my readings of the first installment to make a clear impression of where the book series was heading or why certain elements of the first book were necessary to be included. From the author’s response I felt compelled as a reader and as a book blogger to request a reading of the sequel, so that I could continue to read the next in the series as a way to become better acquainted with the author’s vision and thereby perhaps reforming my original perceptions therein. The Dragon’s Pawn by Mitchell S. Karnes, is the sequel to The Pact which I reviewed for TLC Book Tours earlier this year, and for which I am blessed to have received to review as it truly is one book that I am especially grateful has come back into my life. Sometimes we find the stories within the books are only half of the message and sometimes certain books need a second reading to better understand their heart.

My review will post on Tuesday, 17th of June.

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Cross-posted with Mailbox Monday (a weekly meme) on Monday, 12th of May where book bloggers & readers alike share their inbound books for review, newly purchased books, or otherwise added to their shelves to read. Conversing via: #MailboxMonday My feature was inspired by Mailbox Monday, however as I am always in throes of reading books for review and/or borrowing books from my library, I am never quite as certain which week the books have arrived!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

A Must Read: The Reincarnationist Series by M.J. Rose via Book Candy Studios

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{SOURCES: Jorie Loves A Story badge created by Ravven with edits in Fotoflexer by Jorie. Chain of Mercy book cover was provided by Brenda S. Anderson for both review and promotion; used with permission. A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court, Awesome Jones, & A Mage of None Magic book covers were provided by Tomorrow Comes Media for promotion and review; used with permission. The Collector of Dying Breaths & Daughter of the Gods book covers were provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for promotion and review; used with permission. Love’s Promise book cover was provided by Editing Through the Seasons & Sandra Leesmith for promotion and review; used with permission. Portals, Passages, & Pathways book cover provided by JKS Communications & B.R. Maul for review and promotion; used with permission. The Dragon’s Pawn book cover provided by Mitchell S. Karnes for review and promotion; used with permission. The book trailer for The Reincarnationist series via Book Candy Studios had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post, and I thank them for the opportunity to share more about this novel and the author who penned it. Tweets embedded due to codes provided by Twitter.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Tuesday, 13 May, 2014 by jorielov in Anthology Collection of Stories, Blog Tour Host, Book Trailer, Bookish Films, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Earthen Magic, Editing Through The Seasons, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Gothic Literature, High Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Thriller Suspense, Jorie's Box of Joy, Reincarnation, Short Stories or Essays, Street Team for Author, Tomorrow Comes Media

+Book Review+ Moments in Millennia: A Fantasy Anthology edited by Penny Freeman

Posted Monday, 7 April, 2014 by jorielov , , , , 0 Comments

Parajunkee Designs

Moments in Millenia edited by Penny Freeman
Artwork Credit: Dale Pease (of Walking Stick Books) http://walkingstickbooks.com

Published By: Xchyler Publishing () 11 February, 2014
Official Editor WebsitesSite | Facebook | Twitter
Converse via: #MomentsInMillennia
Genres: Time Travel | Alternative History | Dystopian
Available Formats: Trade Paperback and E-Book
Page Count: 234

Acquired Book By: I contacted Xchyler Publishing about receiving books in exchange for honest reviews and was asked to pick the two books I’d like to request. Moments in Millennia was my second choice, as my first choice was A MidSummer Night’s Steampunk. The main reason I selected this anthology is due to my continued appreciation for being introduced to new authors through their short story contributions. I received a complimentary copy of Moments in Millennia in exchange for an honest review direct from the publisher Xchyler Publishing. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

A note about Xchyler Publishing:

I have been quite impressed with my interactions on behalf of Indie Publisher: Xchyler! They have been quite forthcoming and open to suggestions, ideas, and for a book blogger to not only host their editor & author on my blog, but to be open to giving me press materials to incorporate into my posts. I have enjoyed getting to know Ms. Freeman through my interview with her about her editing, writing, and reading experiences as much as I had the honour in getting to know a bit more about the genre of steampunk through her brother fellow author Scott E. Tarbet.

I am hopeful I can continue to work with them in the future, as they are one of the Indie publishers who has a distinctive eye for creating books which give a reader a lift of spirits to read. The attention to detail in their books is quite bang-on from editing, copy-editing, cover-art design, and by giving some of their books a lovely book trailer presentation that borders on motion picture adaptation! I have enjoyed getting to learn a bit about their process as a publisher as much as learning key behind-the-scenes into the writing of the novels through one of their authors.


Editor Biography:

Penny Freeman

Author and editor, Penny brings to Xchyler thirty years of wordsmith experience, with emphasis on historical fiction, business writing, and journalism. She also serves as assistant public affairs director of a large organization, and has extensive experience in social media and Internet advertising. Literature, history, and storytelling are her great passions, although the technical aspects of the language arts satisfy her compulsion for order. 

Anthology Synopsis:

Travel with seven talented authors as they glimpse through time into Humanity’s future. Will mankind blossom and flourish, conquering the stars and time itself? Or, with selfishness, greed, and just plain bad luck send us all to the brink of destruction?

The Cartographer by Samuel A. Mayo: Destined to chart the stars throughout the aeons, a team of novice map makers are thrust into a conspiracy to control the universe and time itself.

Author Connections: Site | Twitter | Facebook

Fairykin by Ben Ireland: In a world where nature has ceased to exist, a tribe of fairies on the brink of extinction must fight for survival itself. But who will bear the ultimate cost?

Author Connections: Site | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Time out of Mind by Michael Cross: One young girl’s cosmic connection to her grandfather’s tragic past brings life and hope to the blackest days of the Holocaust.

Author Connections: Site | Twitter | Facebook

The Hawkweed by Candace J. Thomas: Consumed with guilt, one girl fights to solve the riddle of her friend’s murder and the disappearance of his brother—unaware of the price on her own head.

Author Connections: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Spaceman in Time by Fischer Willis: Victor seizes the chance to return to the past and right a terrible wrong. Will he have the strength to do what he must, or will history repeat itself?

Author Connections: Twitter | Facebook

Human Era by Neal Wooten: Two grad students hurl themselves into the past with their wormhole technology. Their modern skills make them heroes, but do they truly know where they are?

Author Connections: Site | Twitter | Facebook

Black Ice by S. P. Mount: Men have become mindless drones controlled by chip implants and a master satellite. Can one serial killer imprisoned for a thousand years give them the will to truly live?

Author Connections: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

{ full author biographies : on Xchyler Publishing }


My review of Moments in Millennia:

{ am electing to highlight the stories within the anthology which piqued my interest the most out of the seven offered inside }

| Time Out of Mind by Michael Cross |

From the moment I entered this short, I felt a direct pull into the story-line as Cross singularly chose to focus on the aspect of love and how bound we can become through love where time disintegrates from view. Love is an unlimited gift where time and distance do not affect its full measure of containment. By arching the story into a military dialogue of a grandfather’s selfless acts towards gaining the freedoms of others, whilst the granddaughter struggles to understand how her heart can entwine, through time was a very enchanting pull at the very jump-start of a story!

I believe the main reason this particular story held such a heart tug for me, is due to the fact I come from a very close-knit family. I oft talk (on Jorie Loves A Story & regular blogs I visit) about my adventures in uncovering my ancestral past as Mum and I resume the search after a bit of a long hiatus to uncover the missing gaps and links on both sides of our family. And, of how through these historical adventures the connections we find become stitched into our family’s tapestry is a bit like the discovery of the coin inside Time Out of Mind. You find a tethering to one moment nestled into the past which brings the past forward and the present backwards. We create connections due to our distinctive nature of not only wanting to belong but to become understood. To understand not only where we originated ancestrally but to understand who we are and what our purpose is whilst we journey through life.

The nexus of the portal which opens through the coin brought me startling back to Somewhere in Time, which is one of my favourite all-time romantic motion pictures despite the gutting ending and the reprieve that is bittersweet. The bending and yield of the fissure points held within the mechanisms of how time is wielded and kept is always an interesting theory to pursue.

As I read this story with a thirst and appetite of anticipation,  my heart willed me to press the pages apart and see what the author would reveal on the next page, the next paragraph, the next sentence. It held my attention longing to know as Chantel did the fullness of the story she was tipping herself into on behalf of her grandfather’s legacy. He gave her a unique gift at the turning point of his exit from life, and it’s how she’s meant to follow his guidance that gave my heart a pulse-jump.

Cross pursues the theory of history and time being of temporal constant travellers of each other, where in order for our present to be in our reality, the past which has already occurred is still on-going as it had once lived. The present therefore gives us a way into the future, but whilst in the present we can stumble into the past and the past into the present at junctions of arrival we might not be aware of crossing over. In this, he held my complete attention.

Shedding my own tears as I turnt the last pages on this lovely short story, I felt compelled to see if Cross has published other stories such as this one or on parallel themes. He is intuitive about a woman’s heart and mind, as much as he understands the fractures of our hearts when we are left without the connecting pieces to puzzles. Living histories and historical artifacts help us all engage in the conversation of our shared reality. We gain compassion and empathy simply through the acknowledgement of who traversed before us as much as giving proper honour to those who died for a cause greater than we can all fully contemplate in one sitting.

Michael Cross is a debut author getting his wings in the publishing world from what I can gather off his website! How splendidly wicked news is this?! To have alighted on his first published short story and its the very one within this anthology which held my breath and heart in equal eclipse!? I cannot wait to read more of his writings, and am hopeful he is in development of a novel or novella which will be released in print form so that I can partake of reading it! Dear hearts, if he continues to write on the breadth of what I’ve just completed reading in Moments in Millennia – I dare not emerge until the last page is consumed! He has a gentleness and soft grace in writing a story with this thematic and character point of view.

| Human Era by Neal Wooten |

When I was younger I was especially intrigued by the motion pictures “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “2010”. Stemming out of those initial stories of how futuristic reality and past reality can become altered or perceived differently given the chance to change the perception of how time is analysed and accepted. I garnished an interest in “Planet of the Apes” except to say I never had the proper chance to watch the Roddy McDowell editions opting inside for the Mark Wahlberg remake when it was available to see on the silver screen. Cautionary tales of how future societies and future living realities can become transformed by interference and by curiosity.

Within the short contributed by Wooten, I had a foreshadow knowledge that their adventure ‘through time’ would end in a shocking conclusion. Not the kind that would be overtly traumatic or psychological disruptive to their well-being, but the shock that comes from discovering the unexpected truth of their actions. And, how best to continue forward in their own ordinary lives after having lived through the experience. I was not disappointed as they jolted through their time machine crossing through their homemade wormhole straight into a medieval time period fraught with war and unimagined terror of epic scale.

The more they explored the less they understood, because everything they could observe, sense, and be aware of was telling them they hadn’t traversed very far at all. If anything, they appeared to have travelled to their own world yet a step out of time or place from any map which could guide them. I loved the layers Wooten added-in to the narrative and the heart of the character of Ash, who I wish could have been developed and explored further past this initial foray. Ash is the type of character you could rally behind and see grow in the role of a mentor for the young lads who recklessly pursued technology they had little understanding of past its conception.

What I appreciated the most is how thought-provoking the capsule of the tale is for generations who are pursuant towards science explorations and experimentation. There is always a nod towards knowing how to balance the joy of discovering a new ‘acting theory’ of science within the realms of what is plausible and safe to explore. When we tip the balance into pursuing elements of science which lead us down corridors of heightened danger – it’s best to pull back and reconsider what the consequences might incur for everyone rather than the few who are involved in the experiment. It would have served well to have an epilogue on this one to see what the lads had learnt from their wormhole trip through time and how effectively they forestalled the events yet lived.

Neal Wooten is a huge appreciator of The Walking Dead which I found unique on the level that it’s the very last television series I would even dare contemplate viewing! It is interesting then that it’s his short which drew my eye to mention in my review of Moments in Millennia as I drew a connection to both of these stories (his & Cross) moreso than the others! I would not have felt that possible had I known ahead of time he was into Zombies & Horror, as his short is such a far cry from both genre exploits! This story appears to run in a side vein of what he normally writes and for that I appreciate the chance to sample his writings! I wonder if he could expand on the theory he set forth in this short and encourage out a novel?


My closing thoughts are ones of gratitude to Xchyler Publishing for giving me the honour of reading two of their books and being in a position to ask for Interviews on behalf of those who create and/or oversee the creation of the stories they publish. I am going to seek out an Interview for the two writers who inspired me whilst I read “Moments in Millennia” and I hope to provide those for you to read in forthcoming weeks. I was swept away by the depth of the story Cross conceived as from the initial moment I started to read his contribution to the very closing paragraph I dare not lift my eyes for fear of not returning to the narrative and the journey in which Chantel embarked on to find the truth etched in the past.

Stories which stir our imaginations and our hearts yield the best reading pleasure and joy; hence why my reader’s heart is full of gratitude at having been given such an extraordinary introduction to the works in which Xchyler Publishing produces and gives to readers everywhere. Again, I hope that I will be able to work with them again, and I do hope you will re-visit me this Thursday as I give my thoughts and observations on behalf of Scott E. Tarbet’s Shakespearean Steampunk debut!


Moments in Millennia : A Fantasy Anthology Book Trailer by Xchyler Publishing


This book review is courtesy of:

Xchyler Publishing

check out my upcoming bookish events and mark your calendars!

And, be sure to drop back on Thursday, 10 April

when I review A MidSummer Night’s Steampunk!

Previously I lamented about my appreciation for anthologies!

Dear hearts, I extend the conversation now to you,… what do you appreciate about anthologies which feature upcoming OR established fantasy writers? Which thematic do you find yourself attracted to the most out of: time travel, alternative history, and dystopian? The two I featured fall under the first two categories! Have you stumbled across a new-to-you author by reading a fantasy anthology and then longed for new material by them to read next? What elements make a short story endear you the most? And, what do you think is the hardest part on behalf of a writer of a short story to convey to their readers!?

{NOTE: I am enjoying the “Just Write” edition of writing blog posts in WP! This is my first post to be completely written inside this new format of ‘white board’ free writing – where you can focus on composing your thoughts without the interference of the menus & columns of the regular view inside of a browser. Quite a bit more enjoyable for me!}

{SOURCES:  Moments in Millennia Book Cover, synopsis, Editor photograph & biography were provided by Xchyler Publishing and were used by permission. Book Review badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs.  The book trailer by Xchyler Publishing had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post, and I thank them for the opportunity to share more about this novel and the author who penned it. Tweets are embedded due to codes provided by Twitter.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

Related Articles:

Author Spotlight: Fisher Willis – (xchylerpublishing.com)

Author Spotlight: Candace J. Thomas(xchylerpublishing.com)

Conversation with Ben Ireland – Author Interview – (jaurelguay.wordpress.com)

#BookReview: Moments in Millennia – A Fantasy Anthology (jeriwb.com)

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Posted Monday, 7 April, 2014 by jorielov in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alternative History, Anthology Collection of Stories, Book Review (non-blog tour), Book Trailer, Bookish Discussions, Debut Author, Dystopian, Fantasy Fiction, Futuristic Fantasy, Good vs. Evil, High Fantasy, Indie Author, Indie Book Trade, Military Fiction, Somewhere in Time, Suspense, The World Wars, Time Travel, Xchyler Publishing