Posted Saturday, 8 December, 2018 by jorielov Beneath the Forsaken City, C.E. Laureano, NavPress, Oath of the Brotherhood, The Sword and the Song, THINK (imprint of NavPress) 0 Comments
Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
In keeping with the tradition of my #blogmas featured spotlights on Fantasy novels I wish to be reading – it would appear I have a new corner of INSPY to sink inside throughout the New Year as today’s featured series is also under the Inspirational umbrella of Fantasy! I’ll be moving outside of Fantasy showcases for #blogmas once #FantasyForChristmas concludes, as I have a few guest features and other spotlights planned – however, for now, I am enjoying my journey into an unknown corner of literature wherein the worlds of the fantastical take-on a new dimension of interest for me and others who are seeking out cleaner reads with dramatic depths of world-building & story-telling.
This particular series interested me as I was curious about swords & songs previously – there are other works in Fantasy I’ve stumbled across which talk about this particular gift of the sword – where the swords sing or they have a song attached to them – each writer enters the discussion of the sword differently and thereby, even if they explore a similar theme, the stories themselves remain wholly unique unto themselves!
As this is another new publisher I haven’t come across previously, I decided to see if they had other selections in Fantasy but only found this series listed. I’m not sure if they were testing to see if they wanted to publish more stories of this nature or if it was a one-off; they seem to focus more on their Non-Fiction releases. Of the three cover art designs, my favourites are the first and third; there is something about the second which seemed off a bit to me – I think the effect fell flat for my liking as it seemed to be more sword & sorcery than fantasy; as it seemed like a battle scene rather than a sword which was reverberating sound. It is a story about war – so that did feel rather apt, but the other covers were focusing more on the thread of interest which connects the series together, so I was surprised this one cover seemed to step out of the synchronicity of the other two.
I, apparently, have a particular eye for finding sagas – as this one feels like a heady one to read – where it will become as expansive as Tolkien’s Middle Earth in some places, and as dramatic as any High Fantasy series I’ve come across previously. It will be interesting to see how it plays out and how the details go into the edgier bits of the series.
If you love reading Fantasy stories of this kind, what are some authors you can point me towards which will also involve swords & magical gifts which are a hefty part of the story-line?
Published by: THINK
an imprint of NavPress (@NavPress)
Converse via: #FantasyForChristmas, #FantasyNerd and #SongOfSeare
The Song of Seare series:
Oath of the Brotherhood (book one) | add to LibraryThing
Published: 1st May, 2014 | ISBN: 978-1612915876
In a kingdom where the Old Ways hold fast and a man’s worth lies entirely in his skill with the sword, Conor Mac Nir is a scholar, a musician, and a follower of the forbidden Balian faith: problematic for any man, but disastrous for the son of the king.
When Conor is sent as a hostage to a neighboring kingdom, he never expects to fall in love with the rival king’s sister, Aine. Nor does he suspect his gift with the harp (and Aine’s ability to heal) touches on the realm of magic. Then his clan begins a campaign to eliminate all Balians from the isle of Seare, putting his newfound home in peril and entangling him in a plot for control of the island that has been unfolding since long before his birth.
Only by committing himself to an ancient warrior brotherhood can Conor discover the part he’s meant to play in Seare’s future. But is he willing to sacrifice everything―even the woman he loves―to follow the path his God has laid before him?
The Sword and the Song (book two) | Add to LibraryThing
Beneath the Forsaken City (book three) | Add to LibraryThing
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Posted Saturday, 8 December, 2018 by jorielov in #blogmas, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Fantasy Fiction, Indie Author, Prism Book Tours, Steampunk
Posted Thursday, 6 December, 2018 by jorielov Firebrand Chronicles, J.M. Hackman, Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing LLC, Spark 4 Comments
Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
I appear to be on quite the roll this December for sourcing #newtomeauthors in the Christian Fantasy realms as well as finding a touring company for these tiles inasmuch as new publishers! It is lovely as I love seeking out stories which are gently told but have the scope and depth of what I am regularly seeking in #SpecLit! As the New Year starts to arrive, I want to have a better balance in my reading life – not just between the Historicals & Contemporaries I’m reading but also, to re-establish the Speculative Fiction side of my readerly life alongside my INSPY reads – as those two seem to get sidelined as quickly as my Classical Lit selections as I get charmed by so many dearly lovely stories every year! If I can sort out a way to re-balance what I am reading and thereby, read more across the realms I’m keen on *devouring!* I think 2019 shall be a rather splendid year to walk into my 6th Year as a book blogger!!
As you might have read previously on one of my showcases, I am being a bit particular about which of the authors & their stories I am featuring on #JLASblog during #FantasyForChristmas as I wanted to hand-pick the stories I most wanted to be reading rather than showcasing all the stories and perhaps, having a few of them simply not my cuppa of interest! I have had this intention of policy of what I showcase since I started blogging – I might not get to all the stories *immediately!* when I desire to read them but I do earnestly intend to seek them out as soon as I can thereafter! (hence why #BeatTheBackList is seriously going to be one of my favourite readathons this New Year’s!)
The novel I am highlighting today is a YA Fantasy series – happily able to give you a preview with an extract from the novel itself as well as continuing to provide the links for the publisher & author in case you want to do some research into both at your leisure. I am always intrigued by the cover art choices on #SpecLit stories – this one eludes to a hidden portal / dimension and who doesn’t love her swash of red in her dark hair?
Published by: Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing, LLC (@L2L2Publishing)
Converse via: #FantasyForChristmas, #FantasyNerd and #FirebrandChronicles
The Firebrand Chronicles:
Spark (book one) | add to LibraryThing
Published: 16th May, 2017 | ISBN: 978-1943788149
→ FLARE the sequel is forthcoming early 2019!
Brenna James wants three things for her sixteenth birthday: to find her history notes before the test, to have her mother return from her business trip, and to stop creating fire with her bare hands.
Yeah, that’s so not happening. Unfortunately.
When Brenna learns her mother is missing in an alternate reality called Linneah, she travels through a portal to find her. But Brenna’s arrival in Linneah begins the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy, including a royal murder and the theft of Linneah’s most powerful relic: the Sacred Veil.
Unwilling yet left with no other choice, Brenna and her new friend Baldwin pursue the thief into the dangerous woods of Silvastamen and beyond. Exactly what Brenna wanted to do for her sixteenth birthday. When they spy an army marching toward Linneah, Brenna is horrified. Can she find the veil, save her mother, and warn Linneah in time?
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Posted Thursday, 6 December, 2018 by jorielov in #blogmas, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Fantasy Fiction, Indie Author, Prism Book Tours, Steampunk
Posted Tuesday, 4 December, 2018 by jorielov Blink Young Adult, Curio, Curio series, Evangeline Denmark, HarperCollins Publishers 2 Comments
Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
It is not everyday I find myself drawn into a new world of Steampunk – it is a genre of interest on many different levels for me – from fashion, to soundscapes to motion pictures to the curious gadgets and/or found object art collages artists are assembling to create Steampunk elements which can be used in our own technologic timescape (such as the modifications to keyboards and computers) – however, the literature side of this new niche of exploration which hinges itself between Science Fiction & Fantasy – depending on where an individual author is going to insert their story-line into the fray of what is already released – you have a potboiler of a chance of finding cross-genre influences & a multiverse of aptitude for showcasing a Steampunked world!
Remember reading The Indian in the Cupboard – where small figurines of childhood came to life? I still remember being so lost inside that world, as to firmly believe every character could potentially be ‘met’ as the illusion and the line crossing between the fantastic to the real was so well introduced, it gave the beauty of the story beneficial dimension! I love stories which seek to do the same – to introduce a line of thought where there is a lovely suspension of belief, to where you can embark into a Fantasy lit world as a new explorer of that world but also of the prospect of what you can find whilst your visiting it. There are new perimeters of what can be done and there lies the best joy for myself as a reader. The happenstance discoveries!
This week, I’ve been happily sharing the first #blogmas posts of December – focusing on #newtomeauthors of Fantasy – already sorting out one to ILL (inter-library loan borrow from my local library), one to request as purchase (at the library) and then, there is this one – which has a curious premise – whose more curious about whom? The curios or the human? And, how do they start to interact and respond to each other?
Share in the comments below what you love most about reading Fantasy – especially in YA stories like this one, which seek to thread imaginative plausibility into the heart of the narrative!
Published by: Blink YA | Blink Young Adult (@BlinkYABooks)
an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Read about their publishing focus on Clean YA! (I was most impressed!)
Converse via: #FantasyForChristmas, #FantasyNerd and #Steampunk
The Curio series:
Curio (book one) | add to LibraryThing
Published: 10th January, 2017 | ISBN: 978-0310729518
Grey Haward has always detested the Chemists, the magicians-come-scientists who rule her small western town. But she has always followed the rules, taking the potion the Chemists ration out that helps the town’s people survive. A potion that Grey suspects she—like her grandfather and father—may not actually need.
By working at her grandfather’s repair shop, sorting the small gears and dusting the curio cabinet inside, Grey has tried to stay unnoticed—or as unnoticed as a tall, strong girl can in a town of diminutive, underdeveloped citizens. Then her best friend, Whit, is caught by the Chemists’ enforcers after trying to protect Grey one night, and after seeing the extent of his punishment, suddenly taking risks seems the only decision she can make.
But with the risk comes the reality that the Chemists know her family’s secret, and the Chemists soon decide to use her for their own purposes. Panicked, Grey retreats to the only safe place she knows—her grandfather’s shop. There, however, a larger secret confronts her when her touch unlocks the old curio cabinet in the corner and reveals a world where porcelain and clockwork people are real. There, she could find the key that may save Whit’s life and also end the Chemists’ dark rule forever.
Mark of Blood & Alchemy (prequel)
29th September, 2015 | AISN: B013YZM6PE *sadly this is only a digital release
In this novella prequel to Evangeline Denmark’s YA fantasy novel Curio, Olan Havardsson flees a devastating plague that took his family only to be saved by a mysterious group of “magickers” with healing powers. But as he accompanies his rescuers to their alpine enclave, mysteries arise surrounding their potions and powers of alchemy. Questions mount when Olan observes a deep division forming between those who seek to defend the purity of the healing alchemical work and those who would wield it as a powerful weapon.
Olan is thrust into the midst of this dissention after he discovers he is somehow special–chosen as a guardian like the enclave’s founder. As he spends time with two of his rescuers–Auriana, a clever and captivating inventor, and Alaric, a brooding young man wrestling with his father’s cruel beliefs–Olan realizes he may have the power to direct the course of blood and alchemy.
Introducing readers to the fantastical world of Curio, this novella is wrapped in adventure, romance, and intrigue.
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Posted Tuesday, 4 December, 2018 by jorielov in #blogmas, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Fantasy Fiction, Indie Author, Prism Book Tours, Steampunk
Posted Tuesday, 6 February, 2018 by jorielov Graphene, Joseph E. Meany, Les Johnson, Prometheus Books 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I am a reviewer for Prometheus Books and their imprints starting in [2016] as I contacted them through their Edelweiss catalogues and Twitter. I appreciated the diversity of titles across genre and literary explorations – especially focusing on Historical Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction and Scientific Topics in Non-Fiction. I received a complimentary copy of “Graphene” direct from the publisher Prometheus Books in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I felt this title was pertinent to read:
I’ve been attempting to keep up on technologic advances for a select number of years – in truth, ever since I left high school over two decades ago! Mind you, the advancements occur at such a high frequency of discovery, I do not oft find everything before it becomes either super popular or has entered into the sphere of social discourse and study. I even love technology documentaries or showcases – such as the one I watched about robotics and automation – how we’re progressing towards a fully automated robot who is not only self-aware but he can synthesise his living environment in ways which decades prior would have been considered Science Fiction. Although, in truth – part of me feels we should be cautious about how far we take robotics and automation as we are on the brink of having a self-evolving robot which can process information on its own accord without human interaction or fail-safes in place in the event said robot chooses to live outside its protocols.
Similarly, I was wicked fascinated by the advances in prosthetics and alternative limbs – which also parlays into robotics as there is a ‘new’ smart limb system which has a metric system involved with its performance levels which is inclusive of Nanotechnology. It also unfortunately has too much high tech inside it to where hackers were making a muck of things trying to overturn its functions. I never did catch the follow-up if those protocols were restored or fixed.
When I read first the premise behind ‘Graphene’ it was both exciting to think we’re on the brink of a new technologic advancement which would improve our lives; yet part of me realised sometimes we broach into areas of technology which on one hand are revolutionary in their ability to aide us ahead of where we currently are now and on the other hand, might be seeking to take us into new dimensions of advancement we’re either not fully prepared to accept or shouldn’t be so willing to accept as commonplace in our lives.
Ergo, I was truly thrilled I could request to read this book and sort out for myself my thoughts on this new material which will soon be overtaking our lives. As despite this being a wicked intriguing book I honestly felt you could approach reading it two different ways: both as a cautionary tale how technology can get ahead of us without proper checks and balances vs how extraordinary it is there are other resources available which have unlimited potential – especially ones such as this which can be used across industries. I truly enjoyed the back-history of Science’s discovery in this material as well – in fact, it’s the History of its origins which first intrigued me whilst how it’s going to become applicable in our lives which proved both illuminating and a held a cause for concern (as they haven’t sorted out if it’s biologically averse to human touch or consumption; in effect if it could harm us in the long term).
Graphene
Subtitle: The Superstrong, Superthin, and Superversatile Material that will Revolutionize the World
by Les Johnson, Joseph E. Meany
Source: Direct from Publisher
What if you discovered an infinitesimally thin material capable of conducting electricity, able to suspend millions of times its own weight, and yet porous enough to filter the murkiest water? And what if this incredible substance is created from the same element that fills the common pencil? That’s graphene - a flat, two dimensional, carbon-based molecule with a single sheet measuring only one atom thick.
In this layperson’s introduction to this revolutionary substance, a physicist and a chemist explain how graphene was developed, discuss the problems in scaling up production for large-scale commercial use, and forecast the potentially transformative effects of graphene to Silly Putty to make extremely sensitive and malleable medical sensors and compressing and fusing flakes of graphene to create a three-dimensional material that’s ten times stronger than steel.
This widely adaptable substance promises to change the way we interact with smartphones, laptops, information storage, and even condoms. It may also enable significant improvements to air purification, water filtration technologies, and drug delivery. This entertaining and widely accessible book offers a fascinating look into one of the most exciting developments in materials science in recent decades.
Genres: Astronomy & Astrophysics, Current Events, Materials Science, Molecular Chemistry, Nanotechnology, Non-Fiction, Quantum Electrodynamics, Quantum Physics, Science, Science & Technology Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Find on Book Browse
ISBN: 9781633883253
Also by this author:
Published by Prometheus Books
on 6th February, 2018
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 269
About Joseph E. Meany
Joseph E. Meany is a materials scientist and science communicator otherwise known as the Crimson Alkemist. He fulfills a lifelong passion for futuristic technology on the organising committee of the Tennessee Valley Interstellar Workshop in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Meany’s research has focused on the development and manufacture of conductive carbon-based molecules in electrical circuits, a quickly developing subfield within nanotechnology.
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
About Les Johnson
Les Johnson is a physicist and the author of numerous popular science and science fiction books. He works for NASA at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where he serves as the principal investigator for the Near Earth Asteroid Scout solar-sail mission that will launch in 2019. He has thrice received NASA’s Exceptional Achievement Medal, and he holds four space technology patents.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | LibraryThing
Published By: Prometheus Books (@prometheusbks)
Available Formats: Trade Paperback & Ebook
Converse via: #Graphene + #MaterialsScience
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Posted Tuesday, 6 February, 2018 by jorielov in #FuellYourSciFi, #JorieLovesIndies, 21st Century, Alternative Energy, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Asteroid Science, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Automation, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Book Review (non-blog tour), Chemistry, Environmental Science, History, Human & Computer Interfaces, Modern Day, Molecular Chemistry, Nanotechnology, Non-Fiction, Popular Astronomy, Post-911 (11th September 2001), Prometheus Books, Quantum | Mechanics Physics Theory, Quantum Electrodynamics, Quantum Physics, Science, Space Science, Sustainability from Space, Vignettes of Real Life
Posted Sunday, 9 April, 2017 by jorielov (Narrator) Gary Furlong, Forever Young Audiobooks, Tara Sim, Timekeeper, Timekeeper Trilogy 0 Comments
Acquired Digital Audiobook by: I am a blog tour hostess with Audiobookworm Promotions wherein I have the opportunity to receive audiobooks for review or adoption (reviews outside of organised blog tours) and host guest features on behalf of authors and narrators alike. Wherein I have become quite happily surprised how much I am now keen on listening to books in lieu of reading them in print. My journey into audiobooks was prompted by a return of my chronic migraines wherein I want to offset my readings with listening to the audio versions.
I received a complimentary audiobook copy of “Timekeeper” via the publicist at Audiobookworm Promotions (of whom was working directly with the author Tara Sim) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I was curious about this audiobook:
I personally love stories involving ‘time’ in all the variants literature will afford the writer to create within their scope of world-building, genre and character journey. I oft-times broach how much I love time slip, time shift and time travel stories but that is only one part of how I love seeing ‘time’ manipulated in fiction. Within the Steampunk spin-offs – I appreciate Automation, Clockpunk and other such variants of where ‘time’ can become mingled with Hard Science Fiction elements as much as Victorian worlds which progressed forward in time at a different pace than our own reality.
I liked the premise of this one simply because of how unusual it would be set an entire series around ‘time’ and how ‘time’ is perceived to be controlled and/or bent out of order whilst the maintenance of ‘clocks’ were directly connected to the continuum of time itself. Whilst reading The Clan Chronicles, time is a key component of the series – especially in regards to how travel can become bent or wielded rather through different portals which can transport objects and people if you know how to use the energy properly which not only pertains to ‘time’ but to matter, energy and everything else combined. I guess you could say I love finding a ‘thinking man’ story-line where part of what you love curling inside a narrative such as this is seeing beyond what is being said and envision the mental map of how the writer originated the foundations of the tale itself. I like seeing if I can ‘see behind the veil’ sometimes, and these stories are readily curious due to the nature of their frameworks.
I am also an open-minded reader – wherein I like reading stories about different lifestyles and perspectives which parlays itself through multicultural traditions or religions and for all stories which fall under #ownvoices and #WeNeedDiverseBooks movements whilst pertaining to what I consider the fuller scope of how #diverselit leads into #EqualityInLit via the essay I wrote a few years back.
Timekeeper
by Tara Sim
Source: Audiobook via Audiobookworm Promotions
Narrator: Gary Furlong
Two o’clock was missing.
In an alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, a damaged clock can fracture time—and a destroyed one can stop it completely.
It’s a truth that seventeen-year-old clock mechanic Danny Hart knows all too well; his father has been trapped in a Stopped town east of London for three years. Though Danny is a prodigy who can repair not only clockwork, but the very fabric of time, his fixation with staging a rescue is quickly becoming a concern to his superiors.
And so they assign him to Enfield, a town where the tower seems to be forever plagued with problems. Danny’s new apprentice both annoys and intrigues him, and though the boy is eager to work, he maintains a secretive distance. Danny soon discovers why: he is the tower’s clock spirit, a mythical being that oversees Enfield’s time. Though the boys are drawn together by their loneliness, Danny knows falling in love with a clock spirit is forbidden, and means risking everything he’s fought to achieve.
But when a series of bombings at nearby towers threaten to stop more cities, Danny must race to prevent Enfield from becoming the next target or he’ll not only lose his father, but the boy he loves, forever.
Genres: Clockpunk, LGBTQIA Fiction, Science Fiction, Upper YA Fiction Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9781510706187
ASIN: B01N5W6SCL
Published by Forever Young Audiobooks
on Valentine's Day, 2017
Format: Audiobook | Digital
Length: 8 hours 50 minutes (unabridged)
Published By: Forever Young Audiobooks (@FYAudiobooks)
Converse via: #UpperYA, #Timekeeper and #Clockpunk
About Tara Sim
Tara Sim is the author of Timekeeper (Sky Pony Press) and can typically be found wandering the wilds of the Bay Area, California. When she’s not chasing cats or lurking in bookstores, she writes books about magic, clocks, and explosives.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram
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Posted Sunday, 9 April, 2017 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, Audiobook Narrator Interview, Audiobookworm Promotions, Blog Tour Host, Clockpunk, Clockwork & Mechanisations, Clogs & Gears, Coming-Of Age, Content Note, Debut Author, Debut Novel, England, Equality In Literature, Futuristic Fantasy, Genre-bender, Indie Author, LGBTTQPlus Fiction | Non-Fiction, Literature for Boys, Science Fantasy, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Suspense, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, Upper YA Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
