Posted Monday, 22 December, 2014 by jorielov An Uncommon Blue, Cedar Fort Inc, Colourblind series, R.C. Hancock, Sweetwater Books 2 Comments
An Uncommon Blue by R.C. Hancock
Published By: Bonneville Books (@BonnevilleBooks),
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Converse on Twitter via: #AnUncommonBlue
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 “An Uncommon Blue” 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.
Interested in Reading:
Initially when I saw An Uncommon Blue come available for book bloggers to host on it’s blog tour, I had a few thoughts on the subject float through my mind. As this isn’t my first dance at the rodeo so to speak for either YA or Adult Dystopian Lit — the more infamous attempt I made to dig inside Dystopian worlds is when I took on a Seventh Star Press debut novelist in 2013 whilst reading The Boxcar Baby. In both Sci Fi November 2013 + 2014 I included a Dystopian category of literary focus, and both years I unfortunately was not able to read the titles I had selected.
They included the following:
- All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
- Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
- Across the Universe by Beth Revis
There were other selections made, but these were my top three choices I wanted to focus on for a second year in a row; and technically speaking, I am still posting the remaining contributions I have for SFN 2014 between the end of December and the early bits of January, before shifting fully into my showcases for Sci Fi Experience 2015! I am not a stranger to science fiction but I am a bit of a conservative reader when it comes to attempting to read Dystopian Lit, as this is what I had to express when I joined the blog tour for An Uncommon Blue:
This one is a step outside my comfort zone as although I love reading YA Fantasy, this one has a plot and a story thread that I generally have not read exclusively. I am always attempting to sort out stand-alones and series that dip in/out of Dystopian narratives as well as the elements found inside this story. I am not even sure the proper thematic to mention, but what convinced me was not only the enthused note by the author but the information I found about this novel on his website. I like to read novels that challenge me and this one at its core has a strong message I think warrants being read.
I pitched a curious idea to Asti (a wicked awesome host of this year’s SFN!), where I told her as I start to read more science fiction over the course of the next year leading up into the 2015 Sci Fi November month of lovelies, I’m going to hold back the reviews I feel would best be shared with the collective of who has become the foundation of the event’s month long sci-fi fest! Therefore, I am not sure if as I read the three books I mentioned I will blog about them in January (as a cross-post between SFN + SFE) or if I will hold off until revealing my thoughts until November 2015!
One thing is for certain, I do share one common thread with Mr. Hancock (as I read his new website and portions of his old blog before he received his contract to publish this novel) which is simply to say, I am seeking out wicked quality stories fit for children and teens. I have the tendency to avoid most of the hyper popular novels (including a few I saw he had blogged about or referenced himself) as they do not align with my own reading tendencies and habits, but the fact that we both have an eye on Children’s Lit with the intention to bring out the best of the pack, in this, I can relate to him directly! This is one reason my Children’s Lit page will start to carry with it a lot more selections from 2015 – forward! I’ve only just begun so to speak, as I’m currently a 2nd Year Book Blogger whose found her wings! Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Posted Monday, 22 December, 2014 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bullies and the Bullied, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Coming-Of Age, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Dystopian, Good vs. Evil, Indie Author, Mother-Son Relationships, Prejudicial Bullying & Non-Tolerance, School Life & Situations, Sci-Fi November, Science Fiction, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, The Sci-Fi Experience, Trauma | Abuse & Recovery, Young Adult Fiction
Posted Monday, 10 November, 2014 by jorielov C.A. Gray, Invincible, Piercing the Veil series, Wanderlust Publishing 1 Comment
Invincible by C.A. Gray
Published By: Wanderlust Publishing
Official Author Websites: Site | Blog | @AuthorCAGray | Facebook | GoodReads
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, E-book
Converse on Twitter via: #PiercingTheVeilSeries
Acquired Book By: I worked with Ms. Bauer (of Royal Social Media) whilst hosting Ms. Krupa (author of the debut novel “Safe & Sound”) and I always left the door open to work with her again as hosting T.S. Krupa was quite lovely and I considered myself blessed to be able to cross paths with both Ms. Bauer and Ms. Krupa at the same time. A writer I am highlighting in November Glynis Astie also shares a connection to Ms. Bauer (as she is her publicist) but this time around, Ms. Bauer approached me to host Ms. Gray and her Young Adult Fantasy series Piercing the Veil. I immediately fell in love with the series premise and the layering effect of the story overall out of the vision Ms. Gray had for her series. Therefore I received a complimentary copy of “Invincible” direct from the author C.A. Gray in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
The Afterword is a true gift:
Ms. Gray did a wonderful job at describing the finer points of the science included in the first two installments of the Piercing the Veil series as much as she went on to describe in broad terms what can be found throughout the trilogy. You can drink in information about the following: Penumbra, Nimbus, the Taijitu; including how the Penumbra can cross between worlds; why alchemy plays a part in the back-stories; further explanation on the Philosopher’s Stone and the role of the Arthurian legends. The layers of quantum physics, super-string theories, and the role of each of the extraordinary events etched out of theoretical science and chaos theory are given a special area of notation to break down the basics in layman’s terms to how everything provided the gateway for grounding the Piercing the Veil series in known science.
I appreciate seeing how the author’s research not only heightened the enjoyment of reading a Sci-Fantasy novel, but how each piece of her research went to building the structure of not only the world within the series but the elemental moments of where metaphysics meets the quantum realms of conceptability. It is a strong series for those readers who enjoy a compelling series wrought out of keeping science a forefront of merit within science fiction & fantasy.
Invincible
Peter Stewart is a dead ringer for the legendary King Arthur, and because of that, everyone in Carlion believes that he is the Child of the Prophecy, destined to destroy the Shadow Lord. But Peter doesn’t want to be a hero; all he wants to be is left alone.
Lily Portman also fits the prophecy. Having spent her entire life as an orphan and a misfit, Lily would love nothing more than to be the Child of the Prophecy, so she envies Peter… but she’s also developing a crush on him. And it seems to her that he couldn’t care less.
Isdemus and the Watchers believe that it is only a matter of time before Peter’s twin brother Kane betrays them all and frees the Shadow Lord. The winner of the war to come depends on who has the legendary Philosopher's Stone—the only problem is, it has been lost since the days of Arthur. With the help of a skeptical anthropologist, the Watchers attempt to decode the ancient treasure maps that lead them to the heart of Egypt and the dawn of time. Meanwhile, Lily and Peter discover that Peter holds the real key to the mystery... but will they be too late?
Places to find the book:
Series: Piercing the Veil, No. 2
Also in this series: Intangible
on 27th April, 2014
Format: Paperback
Pages: 422
The search for the Child of Prophecy continues
to expand in proportion to the hunt for Excalibur:
Gray doesn’t allow her readers to take too much of a breath between installments in her Piercing the Veil series, as the opening Prologue of Invincible directly picks up where Intangible leaves off. A mortal wounding battle between the Light and Dark combatants forged in the ending of the first installment are not only attempting to make sense of what happened but the truer revelation of what was revealed by the disappearance of Kane. Kane from the moment he stepped into Peter’s life was a bane of his existence; always pushing Peter towards self-discovery in a near destructive way to pit Peter’s life against the knowledge of who Peter is within the Prophecy itself. Kane instinctively acts impulsively to further his own curious mind towards discovering the true meaning of all of their lives. He grew up with the stories of their worlds colliding into legend and prophecy but he is not entirely on the side of the Light; his heart became embittered by the fact he considered Peter’s role in his life to be a nuisance rather than a gift.
Kane is a character whose foundation of his spirit is hinged to a pursuit of glory whereas Peter’s heart was always tethered to his father and his mother. His parents grounded him even if he had a bit of growth to undertake as far as how to live without bitterness and how to grasp a hold of patience in the face of repetitive structure he felt was beneath him. Each of the young boys had a glimmer of insight towards what is right and what is inherently wrong, but one of them is closer to aligning themselves with a true darkness that could effectively worsen their lot in the life they were meant to ascend inside.
Kane pursued Excalibur for personal vindication and the glorified success finding it secure in his hands would afford him within the boundaries of his world and the laws therein. He was seeking a self-righteous path to outwit and outstep Peter; whereas Peter was merely trying to sort out how the logical side of his brain needed to start to accept what exists outside of science and tangible wisdom.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Posted Monday, 10 November, 2014 by jorielov in Arthurian Legend, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Spotlight, Bullies and the Bullied, Coming-Of Age, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Domestic Violence, Earthen Magic, England, Equality In Literature, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Foster Care, Genre-bender, Good vs. Evil, Indie Author, Light vs Dark, Mental Health, Modern Day, Mythological Societies, Naturopathic Medicine, Orphans & Guardians, Parapsychological Gifts, Parapsychological Suspense, Passionate Researcher, Quantum Physics, Retrospective Memories of a Series, Royal Social Media, School Life & Situations, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Fridays, Sci-Fi November, Science Fantasy, Seers, Social Services, Speculative Fiction, Spin-Off Authors, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Superstrings, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, Time Shift, Transfer Student at School, Writing Style & Voice, YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
Posted Monday, 3 November, 2014 by jorielov C.A. Gray, Impossible, Intangible, Invincible, Piercing the Veil series, Wanderlust Publishing 152 Comments
Mondays:
Fantasy Showcase : the Piercing the Veil series Invalid book: 0
Book Blitz & Announcement of Piercing the Veil Showcase (prior to SFN)
The Book Blitz includes an Excerpt of the novel Impossible. I discussed my joy in discovering this is a ‘clean read’ for all ages. You can view the book trailer as well.
Review: Intangible by C.A. Gray (prior to SFN)
Review: Invincible by C.A. Gray (10 Nov)
Review: Impossible by C.A. Gray (17 Nov)
SPECIAL SHOWCASE: Piercing the Veil Serial Overview (24 Nov)
I encourage everyone who is dropping by for the LIVE Author Q&A with Ms. Gray tonight, to take a moment to go through the links I’ve provided on the calendar of events above where I am featuring her novels & collective works in order to get a proper introduction to the author’s writing style, voice, and her commitment to writing rock solid world-building narrative arcs within the fantasy genre. To me, she embodies the purist essence of a genre-bending author, as her YA Fantasy series is most definitely fantasy driven, yet there are incredible elements knitted into the heart of the characters and the story’s foundation which are rooted on science fact. I felt a better way of describing her works might be to add the attribution of “Sci-Fantasy” as she has found a way to bridge both worlds of Speculative Fiction quite brilliantly.
Welcoming C.A. Gray to Jorie Loves A Story,
featuring an Interview & *LIVE!* Author Q&A!
FULL DETAILS:
Jorie interviews Ms. Gray ahead of the 8:00pm (EST) live commenting blog event which will take place in the comment threads of this post! IF you are unable to drop back during the time in which Ms. Gray will be responding to reader comments, questions, and compliments please make sure to leave your response *early!* in order for her to respond! All comments are still moderated by Jorie, who will be on hand during the live event making sure all comments get through! Once approved you will have the ability to post a direct response without waiting.
Readers and visitors of Jorie Loves A Story can easily leave a comment by using Email, WP, Google+, Facebook & Twitter interfaces without the stress of captcha as I do not use that service! *Remember!* return back to this page in the mid evening hour of 8 o’ clock to make sure you do not miss Ms. Gray! I do recommend subscribing to the comments in order to keep in the loop! The author will be on hand to respond LIVE for a block of two hours!
Remember to continue to leave comments, questions, & thoughts to share with Ms. Gray throughout the month of November during the Sci Fi November event! I will be updating her when new commentary is arriving & she will respond as soon as she can to your enquiries! I consider this a Sci-Fantasy genrebender novel as it has firm grounding in science as much as in fantasy!
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Posted Monday, 3 November, 2014 by jorielov in Angels, ArchDemons or Demonic Entities, Arthurian Legend, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Doctor Who, Equality In Literature, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Foster Care, Genre-bender, Good vs. Evil, High Fantasy, Indie Author, Interview & Live Author Q&A, Light vs Dark, Macgyver, Methodology of Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy, Naturopathic Medicine, Orphans & Guardians, Parapsychological Gifts, Parapsychological Suspense, Quantum Leap, Quantum Physics, Royal Social Media, Sci-Fi November, Science Fantasy, Single Fathers, Social Services, Speculative Fiction, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Superstrings, The Writers Life, Warfare & Power Realignment, Writing Advice & Tips, Writing Style & Voice, YA Fantasy
Posted Friday, 31 October, 2014 by jorielov Brandy Purdy, Kensington Publishing Corp., The Ripper's Wife 0 Comments
The Ripper’s Wife by Brandy Purdy
Published By:Kensington Publishing Corp. ()
Official Author Websites: Blog | *previously this author had a website and Facebook
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, E-book
Converse on Twitter via: #TheRippersWife, #BrandyPurdy & #EmilyPurdy
Acquired Book By: Whilst the blog tour for “The Boleyn Bride” was underway with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, I was making my rounds to the different blogs who were hosting either an Author Interview or a Book Review, or a combination thereof. Although I was not personally connected to the blog tour myself, I oft-times find that the books which tour with HFVBT are ones that I am interested in and thereby my visits on their tour are a pure delight for me! As I am as bubbly on my visits as I am on my own blog as well as Twitter, I left some happy-hearted comments on behalf of this book & author. As she was a new-to-me author as at that point in time I had not heard of her works or known of her works as well as I do now. Shortly after my visits, I received a note from Ms. Purdy asking me if I would be interested in reading her novels. I previously received “The Boleyn Bride” and “The Queen’s Rivals”. Whilst I was working on my reviews for these novels, and putting together my interview with Ms. Purdy, she offered me to read her next release which was “The Ripper’s Wife”.
I received a complimentary ARC copy of “The Ripper’s Wife” direct from the author’s publicist at Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
On how I know Ms. Purdy: As I was contacted originally to read both “The Boleyn Bride” and “The Queen’s Rivals”, we came to find ourselves enjoying the conversation which flowed together rather organically out of that correspondence. I have appreciated getting to know a fellow writer, especially one who writes historical fiction as that is one branch of literature although I deeply appreciate to read, was always a bit trepiderious to pen! I give such a strong nod to the writers who write such delicious historicals, because they give us a way to drink in history in an agreeable manner! I am honoured to have been given the chance to get to know her better in the process of scheduling the reviews on my blog. She even kindly enclosed bookmarks which feature her novels, and I’ve been enjoying them as I read! Bookmarks have become one of my favourite surprises to find enclosed within a book I receive for review!
I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her through the past few months by email. I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time.
A note about why I was interested in reading “The Ripper’s Wife”:
I think most readers of historical fiction have come across the story of Jack the Ripper at one point or another, as the legend and lore behind the criminal mind who was Jack the Ripper has long since been re-imagined, re-told, and attempted to be brought to life on the printed page. My interest was sparked after having a conversation on The Word Wenches blog in 2013 about whether or not the real identity of the person behind the crimes was actually known; as the debate on the identity was still thick with various reports of the evidential truth. The topic has continued to become a lively debate, with new evidence emerging out of a shawl (I believe it was a shawl) yet I am not sure if the whole story will ever truly be put to bed so to speak. Between the numerous tests and the variables of time dissolving away testimonials evidence of who was alive at the time everything happened; it sparks a wonder inside the mind of a writer who wants to take on the lore and dig deeper into the story behind the horror of what happened.
When Ms. Purdy offered me a chance to read her next release in time for Halloween, part of me was curious on the level that so much is known yet incredibly so much is unknown at the same time. For me, I approached this novel from the stand-point of it being a historical fiction true crime novel with the realisation that parts of the story would be a bit more disturbing than my regular faire of choices, but with a unique point-of-view to drive the narrative forward. On that note, I was curious to see where Purdy would take the story from ‘the wife of Jack the Ripper’ in this variation of the story. Read More
Posted Friday, 31 October, 2014 by jorielov in #HorrorOctober, 19th Century, Based on an Actual Event &/or Court Case, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Bookish Discussions, Bookmark slipped inside a Review Book, Britian, Clever Turns of Phrase, Content Note, Crime Fiction, Excessive Violence in Literature, Geographically Specific, Good vs. Evil, Gothic Literature, Historical Fiction, Horror, Indie Author, Jack the Ripper, Mental Health, Sociological Behavior, Sociology, the Victorian era, True Crime, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Friday, 31 October, 2014 by jorielov Ashelyn Drake, Boneseeker, Brynn Chapman, Into the Fire, Janice Gable Bashman, Kristal Shaff, Month9Books, Predator, The Emissary 0 Comments
I was wicked happy when I found out about this special Book Spotlight arriving inside the book blogosphere for *Halloween Friday!*, as I quite literally have become quite fond of the publisher Month9Books through meeting Samantha Vérant on her Seven Letters from Paris blog tour! Lo and behold, when I found out she was publishing a Middle Grade novel entitled King of the Mutants, I was beyond impressed that she was launching her memoir & a fantasy novel at the same time! I did a bit of research on behalf of the publisher as a whole, and came to learn that they are an incredible publishing company staying on the cutting edge for Speculative Fiction releases whilst creating captivating cover art and offering such a wide variety of selections for the literary connoisseur!
I knew this would become quite a lovely surprise for those who have been following my blog for my Horror October posts this past fortnight, and wondering if I had disappeared completely! This is one special surprise I wanted to keep a secret, as I wanted to present four uniquely different suspense filled stories that I believe fit within the framework of the focus for Horror October. I love keeping my mind open to new possibilities in the different genres I dance through, yet as you will find on this post, these four novels offer something beyond unique inside their pages of wonderment!
This is the first time I am hosting on behalf of Month9Books via Chapter by Chapter, a blog tour hosting company who focuses on Young Adult, Middle Grade, & New Adult novels. And, if your curious about who Month9Books is and what their all about you might enjoy this short video:
Meet Month9Books via Month9Books
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Posted Friday, 31 October, 2014 by jorielov in After the Canon, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Blitz, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Detective Fiction, Equality In Literature, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Good vs. Evil, High Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Indie Book Trade, Inspired by Stories, Month9Books, Science Fantasy, Supernatural Fiction, Werewolves, YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
