Congratulations Winner!

I'd like to congratulate Christin Q on winning the book, "Powers" by John B Olson. You have an e-mail waiting for you so respond as soon as you can so I can mail it promptly!

The winner was selected by random.org.

Contest and More Contests!

As my first contest comes to a close, I thought I'd direct you to a couple of great contests that just started. First is from a great book blogger, Parajunkee! She is having a 200 follower giveaway. There is a choice of about 15 books. The detail are as follows:

There will be TWO (2) WINNERS

Winner #1 will get a choice in Cat#1 & Cat#2

1. Winner #2 will get a choice in Cat#2
2. If I get up to 250 Followers a 3rd Winner will be added with a choice in #2
3. If I get up to 300 Followers a 4th Winner will be added with a choice in #2
4. This contest is INTERNATIONAL!
5. If you want one of the adult novels (Lover Avenged, Sins of the Flesh etc.) you must be 18 or older!
6. Some of these books are in my possession, some will be sent via Book Depository.  ALL ARE BRAND SPANKING NEW
7. Contest Ends New Year's Eve Eve - 12/30/09 @ Midnight CST
8. Winners will be announced Jan 1 by email - 48 hrs to respond
9. YOU HAVE TO BE A FOLLOWER - the whole point of this contest! :)
   

So head over to this link to sign up for the giveaway!

A second contest is by the wonderful blog by StephanieD. The Misfit Salon is having a Lady Cottington Pressed Fairy giveaway/contest. There are two contests for a Lady Cottington book. One is harder than the other, but both should prove to be fun! So, if you are a huge fan of Brian Froud, head on over to her blog by Dec 14, 8pm PST to enter. You must be a follower of hers. Just use this link to enter!

Good luck to you in these contests. Oh, and I didn't forget. I'll be gearing up for another contest on this blog. So, keep those eyes open!

Tired of Hollywood Vampires?

I have been hearing that lament quite a bit lately. Of course, this lament mostly comes from weary boyfriends, brothers and husbands of the afflicted by the hollywood vampire bug. I'm enjoying it even if it does get a bit on the annoying side at times. I just see it as an opening for those in the paranormal field to get their foot in the door and really give us some great stories. But for those a bit tired of it... I present you with this short from current. It's quite funny.



Oh, and if you haven't entered the book giveaway, do so now! If this is successful, I may have another giveaway shortly. Hopefully an enjoyable one. :)

"Powers" Giveaway!

Well, this book wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but maybe it will be yours. This book set to be published in December of this year. This is my first contest and I will make it as simple as possible.

In case you missed it... the review is here.

1. Be a follower
2. Must live in the US (sorry, international people... I still luv you!)
3. Fill out this form. (I'm using the form so your e-mail won't be so public)
4. Do this by Nov. 30th and I'll chose the winner on Dec. 1
5. If the winner does not get back to me within the week, another winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

"Powers" by John B Olson

From the Publisher: "Bury me standing. I must be buried standing.”

Powers, the follow-up to John Olson’s Shade (“a must-read for those who enjoy Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti” —Publishers Weekly), introduces a sheltered Gypsy girl named Mariutza. Her grandfather utters a mysterious last request before dying in her arms after being shot by ten cloaked men.

Those same men die before her eyes, but strange powers continue to pursue Mari through the swamps of southern Louisiana where she has always hidden from “the Badness.”

The whole world seems to join in the chase—helicopters, soldiers, government agents, and the police are all trying to kill her. Mari’s only hope of survival is to find Jaazaniah the Prophet, the mythical hero of her grandfather’s bedtime stories. But she has never been outside the swamp or known other humans besides her grandfather and one teacher. How can this lone girl survive the bewildering world of men long enough to find a prophet who might not even exist?

I admit, I was one of the few who were surprised that this was considered Christian fiction, especially after reading the book summation by the publisher. I was further surprised because the main characters are Gypsies. Why? Well, because Gypsies, especially in the European countries, have been persecuted as witches. But, the world has changed (depending on where you are, I believe) so I put that bit of history aside and dove into the book.

The book, in the form of the plot, went very smoothly and it did seem to wrap up neatly in the end. All in all, it would have been a great book if it would have had better character development. I believe this is part of a series, so perhaps that will be rectified in the end, but with this book, it was not.

Jaazaniah, or Jazz, was the most developed of the characters and I was able to really get into his character and root for him to "win". He was from the city life and thrust into this strange world of psychic powers. His counterpart, Mariutza, or Mari, I did not have as much success in liking or getting into her character. Both her and the Grandfather who raised her lived in a swamp with very little access to the outside world. I had no problem with her marveling at the simplest things about city or just plain modern life. That was the part I, in fact, enjoyed. My problem is how she was raised. She was not given the self-worth and ability to think for herself. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I found myself hating the fact that she couldn't think or do for herself. So much that I wanted to throw the book every time I read that "it's not my place". For someone having to help Jazz figure out who to trust, what to do and where to go, I did not find this believable. It became extremely annoying.

I also found the antagonist lacking. All you knew was bits and pieces about the "badness" but not really why they were after them. The lack of information did not make them more frightening, but less so. I would have liked more information on them other than a vague reference to vampirism. What was their motive and/or goals? How dangerous were they? Were they only a danger to "the standing"?

I have to give the book 2 out of 5 stars because of the lack of character development. I feel the plot was worthy, but not enough to carry the book all the way through.

"Queene of Light" Blog with Bite Discussion Questions

#1 Did you have an understanding of the world created by this novel, or did you find the complexity too much?

I didn't find it too complex and also thought we only saw the edge of what was truly there in all the worlds created.

#2 In a book that it appears many have trouble liking, what is one thing that you like about this book?

I like this book actually. Yes, I had several reservations about parts of the book, but I like the way Ayla learned about herself and found inner strength.

#3 Did you agree with the author’s decision to make Ayla a fierce assassin in battle and a weakling in her emotions? For example her obvious contempt for Garret but yet her willingness to be his mate and subject herself to his demeaning manor?

Absolutely! How many people are there that are successful in one part of their life and not in others? We tend to put our lives into little compartments. It makes sense that love would be her weakness. All she knew of it was pain. So, she closed herself off so she wouldn't go through pain. Her goal then, was just survival. That is why she chose Garrett. Remember, also, Garrett didn't show his true abusive colors to Ayla until AFTER the mating. That is when she had contempt for him, not before. He was demeaning before, so I do not disagree totally with the statement, but it was more carefully planned, hidden and fed on her insecurities so she didn't notice.

#4 What do you think the significance of the the baby Ayla carries is/will be?

Perhaps she will be the way to get all worlds together. A way to peace... or eventual war.

#5 What do you think of Ayla's ascension to the throne? Do you believe she accepted her own destiny too easily?

No. I don't think she really accepted it in the end. I don't think she really contemplated her destiny at all. It was all about survival for her, the baby and Malachi.

My review is here if you missed it. :)

Disappointed

I had intended to fully read my first ebook and give a review on it. Unfortunately the free book neglected to say that it was a preview. Now, Amazon, where I got the book, later changed that, but the link I got it from still did not. It had about 20 chapters to the book, so I figured it was a full book. So did a lot of other people. I also looked at the one that DID say preview did not specify that it was only a portion of the book in question. I feel that this was an honest mistake, but was not taken care of properly. Full disclosure on EXACTLY you are getting even if it is free should be given on the page you are "buying" from. This is important so people do not have a bad taste for the author (who I feel did not have a part of it, but will surely get criticism for it), and the store. Perhaps the word preview could have been enough, but I felt it was already confused with not having it specified prior.

So, for now on, I will assume that anything before a publishing date will be a preview unless stated otherwise. Since I'm making that wide assumption, I won't say exactly what book it was (although it won't be hard to find out) and it does not deter me from the free books. I did check. Those others that I had downloaded are full books. I just wanted people to be aware of what they may get before getting that pre-published book for free. ;)

Queene of Light (Lightworld/Darkworld #1)

From the book: An unimagined destiny an undeniable passion.

In a time not long from now, the veil between fantasy and reality is ripped asunder creatures of myth and fairytale spill into the mortal world. Enchanted yet horrified, humans force the magical beings Underground, to colonize the sewers and abandoned subway tunnels beneath their glittering cities.

But even magic folk cannot dwell in harmony and soon two Worlds emerge: the Lightworld, home to faeries, dragons and dwarves; and the Darkworld, where vampires, werewolves, angels and demons lurk.

Now, in the dank and shadowy place between Lightworld and Darkworld, a transformation is about to begin....

Ayla, a half-faery, half-human assassin is stalked by Malachi, a Death Angel tasked with harvesting mortal souls. They clash. Immortality evaporates, forging a bond neither may survive. And in the face of unbridled ambitions and untested loyalties, an ominous prophecy is revealed that will shake the Worlds.

When reading this book, I noticed that some of it seemed to be a bit inconsistent in the way the author wrote it. She seemed to linger on the dark areas of the book and then suddenly when Ayla was in war, it was over. It seemed that the darkness held more of the fascination with the author than moving the story along. This could be explained by the dedication that was at both the front and back at the book.

 To me, this book symbolizes a beautiful flower that grew out of the rotting rib cage of a murder victim abandoned in a shallow grave. Thank you to everyone who made that weekend such a horrible experience and forced me to retreat into a fantasy world where a sewer full of monsters offered more hospitable company than yours.

Nice people and objects that made this book possible were the Friday Night Mudslingers, my supportive family, Diet Coke, and Emmy Rossum's Inside Out album.

This dedication could have made the book less interesting, but quite the opposite was true. I was more fascinated.

I also was disappointed with not having much to do with Malachi, her death angel lover. He seemed to be an important part of the story, and I was looking forward to journeying with him on his way to humanity, but his story got cut short once things got going in the lightworld. In fact he almost suddenly seemed an after thought.

Even with those criticisms, I did enjoy this book. I liked the journey of Ayla. Her journey of being a shy outcast, closed off from everyone around her, to a woman in her own right waging war, finding her inner strength, and opening herself up to the possibility of love.

I would recommend this book. It is in all a very enjoyable read.  I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. 


The Blog with Bite questions/answers are here if you like to read them. :)

IT"S FREE!!

Have a mac? Want some free software? Go to Macheist to get it! ShoveBox, WriteRoom, Twitterrific, TinyGrab, Hordes of Orcs are free. Mariner Write will get unlocked after 50,000 download the free software. Some good apps for those budding writers. The catch? You might get addicted as Macheist has been known to have some great puzzles for more free apps as the year progresses. It usually ends in a bundle that you pay for... BUT not this one! So, if you have a mac or know someone who has one, this is a great deal to try some software they may not have otherwise. Go, have fun!

Edit: Now get VirusBarrier for free too when you announce it on your Facebook account. Not bad. That's a $70 value. 

And just so you know, I've been doing the MacHeist thing for a couple of years now and it really is a good bargain for mac users. Also great fun trying to solve puzzles.

A Sorcerer's Cookbook by Brigitte Bulard-Cordeau

Anyone who knows me at all knows that I do not like to cook. Sure, I'll occasionally bake, but that is usually from a box. So, when I spied this book, I was intrigued. The words on the cover also state "Recipes for Enchantment from Aphrodite's Oysters to Violet Bonbons". Just HAD to look. The book is cute filled with pictures of herbs and old advertising people. Instead of recipe, it is called a spell and gives a reason for making it. Most are positive in nature, but there are occasional one's for when your other has been naughty.

Will I learn to love cooking with this book? I doubt it. However, I just might try one or two and see what happens...

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

From the book:

High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness. Angry and alone, he takes refuge in his imagination and soon finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a world that is a strange reflection of his own -- populated by heroes and monsters and ruled by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book, The Book of Lost Things.

I really loved this book. Although some may mistakenly think this is a child's or young adult type of book, I do not think so. It is most definitely an adult book. Yes, the main character is a 12 year old child and they deal with fairy tales, but there is darkness that surrounds the boy. This darkness is inappropriate for children. There are also principals identified within the story that may be lost on the younger set, but noticed by adults with more life experience.

The fairy tales in the book are more reminiscent of the old fairy tales in which do not always have a happy ending. Connolly goes further and twists those fairy tales into nightmares. Nightmares of David and the old king's making. As each fear is dealt with, more of the self to David is revealed. It is a book about dealing with one's own fear and the loss of ignorance we have as children. Ignorance of the world's darker half, before we are prepared to handle it, is what makes us innocent. That is what this book explores. It is David's painful journey into adulthood and the choices he makes that determines who he eventually becomes.

The ending is what got me the most. So, I don't reveal too much, I feel that I can safely say that Connolly gives the best meaning to names having the most meaning. You'll just have to read the book to figure out what I meant by that. :) My only criticism is that I felt it didn't quite meld the Greek mythology quite as successfully as he changed the fairy tales. But, that really, is a slight criticism.

This book has my highest rating and my recommendation.