Thursday, October 30, 2014

ENNARA AND THE BOOK OF SHADOWS, by Angela Myron



 Today we are excited to share book two in the
middle grade fantasy series by Angela Myron,
Ennara and the Book of Shadows. 
 You know me, I'm always on the hunt for good mg/ya
fantasy books to recommend.  And the first book,
Ennara and the Fallen Druid
is a perfect tale to share with your fantasy loving kids.
 The main character is a good read, she's clever and real,
very easy to fall in love with and wonder 
what will happen next.  The perfect story for little ones
to get lost in.  And what comes next is the Book of Shadows.
Hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions, please enjoy this book blast.  
The author is sponsoring a very generous giveaway in this tour, 
check the details below and make sure you include your name 
for a chance to win.  And as always, please leave us a comment 
so we know that you were here, thx PLP.


BLURB:

When strange accidents start happening around thirteen year-old necromancer Ennara and her friends, she must search for the mysterious stolen artifacts causing the attacks while learning the highest form of magic--the spells that could prevent the fruition of a terrible prophecy.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
Ennara looked at the pansy. Still dead. Then at her teacher, who was staring at her, waiting. The class remained silent. Didn’t he see the plant wasn’t alive at all? His expression remained questioning. Did she want to admit she couldn’t do this, and be separated from the rest to re-learn how to do a blessing?

She took a deep breath. A sideways glance at Kithe showed him smiling at the end of the desk. He shot her a secret thumbs-up under the table. Failure was not an option. Healing spells were a major part of light magic and she had to master the path of light. Fulfilling the good part of the prophecy demanded it.

“No, I can do this.”

The greenish glow filtering through the classroom’s life tree, an ancient, knotted maple, darkened as a cloud passed over the room’s large sun-dome. Outside, the wind picked up. The life tree’s broad leaves shivered. A breeze whistled through the castle corridor on the other side of the heavy wood door.

Ennara focused on the delicate head of purple petals and yellow stamen. She lifted a delicate indigo-stained pine wand lying next to her scribbled notes on healing incantations. 

“Mag koil.” Make unharmed.

Nothing happened. 

Darsys and her friends at the front of the room giggled. Inunsolus folded his arms, his white beard pulling the creases in his face into several versions of a scowl.

Ennara bit her lip. How was she supposed to rely on holy magic if it didn’t work?

“Mag koil.” She glared at the plant, imagining its stiff little cells burning with potent life force. A brief indigo shimmer fell onto a limp purple petal.

Her teacher inhaled sharply and took a step away from the bench. The pansy, lifeless only moments earlier, slowly curled and relaxed a leaf. Ennara had seen that shimmer once before. Last summer, when she and Kithe traveled aboard the Cissonius to the sunken city of Ililsa. And just before a cabinet of curios, including a severed hand, came to life.

The bloom slowly straightened, its violet color deepening to black. A faint hissing sound tickled Ennara’s ear. She bent toward the little plant, squinting. Suddenly the pansy lunged, revealing a row of crystalline teeth under its bed of stamens.

“Eeep!” Ennara bashed the little flower with the thick end of her wand. Green slime sizzled the end of the stick.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~




~~~~~~~~~~~~~


AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Angela Myron was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1973. She grew up in the piney forests of southern British Columbia, studying tiny blue bells, dodging hidden cacti, and creating fantasy worlds in her back yard. She loved to imagine lands of fairies and goblins, then invite friends over to introduce them.

Angela studied biology and professional writing at university, starting her degree at the University of Victoria in Canada and finishing it at San Francisco State University. She wrote grant proposals for nonprofits, technical manuals for software, and freelance journalism before writing fiction.

www.angelamyron.com 

Angela will be awarding a the winners choice of one of the following prizes (international giveaway -- All photos used from Etsy shops that she plans to purchase the gifts from. Actual gift will be sourced from winner's country and will likely look different for international winners):

1.  Dragon earcuff. A tiny dragon that wraps around your ear just like Ennara's wraps around her wrist! Ennara would not approve.

2. Potions master decal kit: Trick out your Kitchenaid with this decal kit! Ennara approved.

3. Emergency Potion Necklace: Potion/necklace dependent on winner's location. Ennara approved.

Or the winner may choose something from Ennara Swag (if they live in the US).




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, October 27, 2014

GATEWAY TRILOGY by CHRISTINA GARNER


Release Date: 06/2014

Summary from Goodreads:
Ember has always known she doesn’t belong in this world. But when she tries to correct the mistake, she wakes to find herself in a mental institution.

She’s soon drawn to Taren, the mysterious boy with hazel eyes. He’s not what he seems, but what is he?

When chaos erupts, they are forced to flee the institution together, and the secret that Taren has been keeping brings Ember closer to understanding her own. And leads her to… the Gateway.



Buy Links:
Amazon (on sale for $.99)



Release Date: August 2014

Summary from Goodreads:

**Description Contains Book 1 Spoilers** 


Two months have passed since Ember Lyons nearly died killing the powerful Root Demon threatening the Los Angeles Gateway. Physically healed, images of the day still haunt her and she can no longer access the power she once wielded. She can't talk about it with anyone at The Institute--not even her handsome, demon-hunting boyfriend, Taren. Besides there are bigger things to worry about: Gateways around the world are weakening, Keepers' Marks are fading, escaped lesser demons are populating Los Angeles, and it looks like the Root Demon wasn't alone.

When the Institute sends Ember and a team to Europe, she hopes to find answers and security on the journey, but another attempt on her life reminds her she's never really safe.

Then she's thrust together with the mysterious Alexander. Ember can't be sure if this charismatic man is her most formidable enemy or greatest ally. Either way, she needs him, because he's the only one who can bring her to... the Chasm.

Buy Links:
Amazon (on sale for $2.99)


Tether (The Gateway Trilogy Book 3)
Release Date: 09/23/14

Summary from Goodreads:
**Description Contains Book 2 Spoilers**

Ember was only trying to keep a promise when she jumped into the demon world. But instead of saving Cole and his people, she found herself just as trapped as they are. She lives and learns with the Daemon survivors while the demon threat grows every day.

Meanwhile Taren struggles with his guilt for not stopping Ember. He’s desperate to know she’s alive, but there's been no sign of her except in his own vivid dreams.

As they struggle to reconnect, the Gateways around the world weaken, and the demons begin to amass for war. The end is near and Ember must face her fears if she has any hope of saving the world – or herself.

With everything falling apart, her only hope is to find...her Tether.


Buy Links:
Amazon

About the Author
Christina Garner began writing stories at the age of six. Her first–about a young girl who busted up a nefarious ring of furniture thieves–was a huge hit with her mother. At eighteen, her aspirations as an actor had her loading up her Buick and setting off for Hollywood. Since then, she has written and directed 10 short films, including Rewind and Reminder, both of which received acclaim on the festival circuit. In 2006, she began writing screenplays. A year later, she even got paid for one. In May of 2011, her debut novel, Gateway, became an Amazon Bestseller. Chasm, Book 2 in The Gateway Trilogy, did the same.

When she’s not writing novels, Christina spends her time working in the movie business, traveling, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns, and playing with her dog, Griffin.

Author Links:
 photo iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png  photo icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png  photo icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png  photo iconfacebook-32x32_zps64a79d4a.png

GIVEAWAY:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

THE NORU, BLUE ROSE by LOLA StVIL


                         


From Bewitching Book Tours a Spotlight from Author 
Lola StVil…The Noru, Book One, Blue Rose.
This is a YA paranormal/fantasy series about Angels and Demons.  The lead character, Pryor is a Noru,  a very specific kind of Angel, there are only a few and she's in danger of being identified by the wrong group, and this is not a good thing.  If you enjoy a lead character with a sarcastic, humorous, and intelligent sense of wit, with flaming red hair and lavender eyes…oh, and just happens to be an Angel…you'll love this new series.
The author is hosting a giveaway, so be sure to enter your name to win copies of both books in the series…and as always, please leave us a comment so that we know you were here…thx, PLP.



The Noru 
Blue Rose
Book One
Lola StVil
Genre: YA Fantasy
ASIN:  B00LKSYV9C
Number of pages: 397
Word Count:  73,062
Cover Artist: Renu 

Book Description: 

"After speaking to the other angels on the team, I hang up my cell and sigh. No one's heard from Aaden in months. This bothers me not only as the leader but as his girl--well if I was his girl--which I'm not.
Great. Now on top of being grounded, I'm sitting here acting girly and needy. Argh!!! 
Screw this! I start to head downstairs to plead my case to my parents again, when something out the window catches my eye. I lean in closer to get a good look. What I see astounds me: soundlessly and without hesitation, the humans line up and jump off the roof one at a time..." 
PLEASE NOTE: This book contains a scene in chapter 12 that is for mature audiences only. Readers can skip this chapter without missing any info vital to the plot.

Available Free at Amazon   
Also Available at iTunes   Nook   Kobo


Excerpt: 
“That didn’t look like nothing, Pryor. He’s terrified. You were Binding him,” my dad accuses.
"A little,” I admit, avoiding eye contact.
"You could have killed him,” she says.
"I wasn’t going to hurt Principal Walsh. I just wanted him to shut up. He was going on about conforming to the status quo, and frankly that’s unacceptable behavior for an educator. I was doing humanity a favor by rendering him silent.”

About the Author:

Lola was seven when she first came to this country from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She attended Columbia College in Chicago, where her main focus was creative writing. In addition to plays, she also writes screenplays and short stories. 
She has been commissioned to write for ABC, CBS and Princeton University. She won the NAACP award for her play "The Bones of Lesser Men". In addition to being nominated for LA Weekly awards. Her work has also received positive reviews from The LA Times, Variety and LA Weekly.

Twitter @guardiansgirl 
Instagram @authorlolastvil 


Tour giveaway 

5 WINNERS will get a free copy of THE NORU: BOOK 2: THE LAST AKON

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, October 5, 2014

ORENDA by Ruth Silver, a Review




A virtual book blast from YA Bound Books Tours.  The first book 
in a new series from author Ruth Silver, Orenda.  
A YA Fantasy/adventure/parallel world story.  
Today I will be giving my review of this book. 
 Please leave a comment and let us know you were 
here….thx, PLP.

Blurb

Join forces with a parallel universe. 

Dark forces, magical creatures, and the world Lil thought she knew collide when a dream transports her to the strange world of Orenda. Stunned and terrified, Lil comes face to face with her doppelganger, Willow, who possesses the ability to travel between the two worlds. Everything Lil knows logically says that Orenda can’t exist, but a small clue may be proof that it was more than an ordinary dream. With the threat of her sister in danger, Lil crosses dimensions but it may cost her even more than she bargained for. 

A sword wielding girl, the eternal suit, and a parallel universe come together in this action- packed Young Adult fantasy adventure that will keep readers of all ages turning the pages. Orenda is the first novel in the Orenda series.



Goodreads review link
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18757051-orenda?from_search=true

Amazon link
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615984290/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0615984290&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2


My Review

I love the premise of this story, the idea of parallel worlds is very intriguing to me, I was really looking forward to someone else's take on the idea.  Plus the cover of this book truly grabbed my attention…I was very excited to begin this adventure.  It's actually the first time I've considered reviewing a book…that's how much I loved what I saw and read in the synopsis.

The mystery begins on a good note, the characters are believable and the general theme of the book is inviting, it's all exciting and you follow along with the intrigue immediately. It really grabs your attention right away.
However, the jumps in the writing were really throwing me off in a big way, almost immediately.  There's an entire scene in the kitchen with her sister eating breakfast and she gets up to let someone in the door and the very next sentence is her sitting in a classroom at school? Huh?  I had to re-read to see what I missed, but realized we had simply changed scenes without warning or paragraph breaks.  This style of writing, mistakes in punctuation which made it really unclear who was speaking at times, happened so much that I really felt I could not continue reading the book.   It seriously challenged me on more than one occasion, and I almost just put it down several times.  However, I really wanted to like this book, given the synopsis, and give it a fair chance, so I read on.

The story did become more interesting and I definitely wanted to see where it would go.  Although I had trouble with the instant acceptance of the main character's situation, of being thrown into another world (which didn't seem that much different than ours), there should have been more angst or questioning to me.  It seemed like everything was a bit of a breeze instead of the shocking thing that it was.  Too much detail was left out for me, it was all simple. And without giving anything away, there were two main instances in the story where someone is revealed to be something else and it is so blatantly glanced over that it appears rushed, like the author didn't want to take the time to explain the circumstance, or give more intrigue.   I wanted to know more, I was incredulous, why wasn't the protagonist as upset?   It really bothered me a lot, there was no urgency or feelings of betrayal at something so astounding…it didn't go deep enough.  Instead the day carried on like any other.

Now,  having said all of this, I did finish the story and would like to see where it goes, if for no other reason than pure curiosity.  Like I said, there are some interesting characters and ideas…I want to know more.  I want to know how its all going to end.

And speaking of endings.  I was reading on my kindle and when another title came up on the next page I thought it was just a second part of the book, this happens so I didn't think it was unusual.  And since the author's way of writing was so cut up at times, it just seemed natural to keep reading.  Except that it kind of started in a whole other place and it was confusing, until I got to the end and realized the author had placed a sample of the next book immediately after the first, again, with no warning.  It just appeared on the very next page!   Happy that I wasn't completely bonkers, I went back to read the last of the first book again and realized, geez, it really did just simply end!  It wasn't a cliff hanger that keeps you clinging to the edge of your seat, waiting for the next book to come out….it literally just stops with questions rather than suspense and a situation (one of the ones I mentioned above), with a family member and a room that was a pivotal and shocking point of the story, that went right by without a hick up, like it was no big deal…?!

Even after my personal trial of reading this story, I would have to say that if you love the fantasy/adventure/dimensional thing then give it a try…I see some good reviews, so there you have that.  I think the idea is very interesting, but I feel it just needs some fine tuning and a bit more background or something deeper, more world building.  Take your time Ruth, give us the juice and it could make a good series.

That is of course assuming the author delivers in the end.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Fairy Tale Hop Winners Announced!

Sorry it's taken so long to get back to posting the winners from our recent Fairy Tale Hop, hosted by Anna over at Herding Cats and Burning Soup…we LOVE you Anna!  Here are the big winners from our personal giveaway here at PLP….congrats to everyone!

First Place

Lori Frankly Hopkins
ebook of Truly Twisted Tale of Ruby Hood by Stephanie Greenhalgh

Second Place

The BookLady
ebook of Ruby Hood…I decided to change things up and give another Ruby as most of you were more interested in the paranormal fairy tale.

Third Place

Cheryl R.
ebooks of both one and two books from the Benjamin McTish YA Fantasy/adventure series.

Congrats to all our winners and salutations to all our new friends.  Keep visiting through October, we have a book review next week and a couple other things coming up to share.  Thx again, PLP