Tortured Souls (The Orion Circle #1)
Author: Kimber Leigh Wheaton
Find "Tortured Souls": Amazon
Sometimes Rest in Peace isn't an option
Kacie Ramsey sees ghosts—and it's ruining her life. Her mother left, her father blames her, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't keep the ghosts away. Now a new power has emerged. Nightly visions of grisly murders and a relentless predator draw her to the brink of insanity.
When the phantom appears at a party, Kacie's longtime crush, Logan, saves her. He invites her to join the Orion Circle, a group of supernatural hunters with chapters in schools all over the country. Through the Circle, Kacie learns to embrace her spiritual powers, and for the first time in her life she feels in control rather than a victim.
But the Foxblood Demon will not give up so easily. A demented serial killer in life who trapped the souls of the thirteen children he murdered, imprisoning them within the walls of his mansion. Now in death, he plots his return while drawing power from the pure souls of the children. He recognizes something in Kacie he's never seen before—a medium powerful enough to provide a vessel for his tainted soul.
Kacie can't ignore the tortured souls of the children crying out to her every night. With Logan at her side, she will fight the Foxblood Demon. But can they banish this powerful phantom, or will Kacie lose not only her body, but her eternal soul to the monster.
~Teaser~
~Excerpt~
Closing my locker, I nod and smile at him, trying to hide my anxiety. Why did I agree to go to this club meeting? What if they sacrifice goats to some pagan god or something? Laughter wells up within at the absurd image of an animal sacrifice occurring on the third floor of the Sciences building. Besides, it couldn’t be a goat—it would have to be a cat or a fetal pig since that’s what the AP biology class is dissecting this year. I guess it could be a crawfish or an earthworm since the regular biology classes dissect those.
My laughter finally bubbles out when I picture figures in black robes sacrificing an earthworm to their pagan god. I feel Logan’s eyes on me. When I glance at him, he has a strange, indecipherable look on his face.
~Giveaway~
a Rafflecopter giveaway
~About the Author~
Kimber Leigh Wheaton is a bestselling YA/NA author with a soft spot for sweet romance. She is married to her soul mate, has a teenage son, and shares her home with three dogs, four cats, and lots of dragons. No, she doesn’t live on a farm, she just loves animals. Kimber Leigh is addicted to romance, videogames, superheroes, villains, and chocolate—not necessarily in that order. (If she has to choose, she’ll take a chocolate covered superhero!) She currently lives in San Antonio, TX but has been somewhat a rolling stone in life, having resided in several different cities and states.
Wins of Arian (Solus #1)
Author: Devri Walls
Acquired: From author/publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Find "Wings of Arian" FREE: Amazon | B&N
Kiora thought she had never heard a lie until she was sixteen. But she was wrong. Her entire existence was based on nothing but. She thought that evil did not exist. Lie. That magic was not real. Lie. And that the land of Meros was all there was. One more lie.
With Aleric telling her that evil is knocking on the door and that she is the only one who can stop them she has a choice to make. Refuse, or start the wildest most painful ride of her life.
She reluctantly dips her toe into her new existence of magic and threads, dragons and shapeshifters, and the person who wants to take control of it all: the evil Dralazar.
However, this journey was never meant to be hers alone. She will be accompanied by a Protector. To her disbelief, and utter irritation they name the hotheaded, stubborn, non -magical, (albeit gorgeous) Prince Emane. They will have to trust each other with their lives, but right now Kiora would settle for a non hostile conversation.
And now it comes down to this, If you had never heard a lie, would you know when you heard one? Is knowing good from evil innate? Kiora finds herself having to decide who lives and who dies on those very questions.
~My Review~
Oh, this book was absolutely captivating! It's amazing to me how sometimes a book can just come out of nowhere and sweep me away into its story.
This, of course, is all due to fabulous writing skills. And Ms. Walls has them! I can't even wrap my mind around how much I enjoyed this.
To start, I love that the romance of the story isn't love-at-first-sight.
I firmly believe that love-at-first-sight has its place. But it is SO overdone. I like a couple that takes some work to get to a good place. A couple that slowly finds out how amazing their counterpart is. Each individual gets taken by surprise by the positive attributes of that other person. It's wonderful. I love going on that ride with the characters!
Throw in there some magic and danger and you've got a winner!
The supporting characters in Wings of Arian were also most enjoyable! Seriously, a Pegasus? That can communicate telepathically? BRILLIANT!
I am quite sorry that I didn't sign up to review the rest of the books in the Solus series. I'm going to have to devour them soon!
~My Rating~
~Giveaway~
a Rafflecopter giveaway
~The Solus Series~
~About the Author~
Devri Walls lives in Kuna Idaho with her husband and two kids. She has worked as a music teacher and currently, a preschool teacher. She majored in theater and her love of a story still drives her today. Thankfully, she has finally found an outlet for all the voices in her head.
Uncle John's Bathroom Reader For Kids Only!
Editor: Gordon Javna
Acquired: From author/publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Find "Uncle John's Bathroom Reader": Amazon | Uncle John's Online Store
Here is an exciting chance to own the very first Uncle John's Bathroom Reader For Kids Only! in a hardcover edition with all new illustrations!
When our younger readers demanded a Bathroom Reader of their own, Uncle John put together this brain-boggling easy-to-read collection of facts, fads, quotes, history, science, origins, pop culture, mythology, humor, and more! Plus it's full of wacky and fun illustrations and Uncle John's famous "running feet" — those fun and fascinating facts on the bottom of every page.
Curious young readers will learn about the real Dr. Seuss, baseball superstitions, the birth of The Simpsons, how carnival games are rigged, the history of dining on scorpions and tarantulas, shocking truths about thunder and lightning, and disgusting bodily functions like ear wax production and digestion (and why they're important), and much, much more..
~My Review~
I normally don't review nonfiction books, but Uncle John's Bathroom Reader for Kids Only! just looked too good to pass up! I instantly thought about how much my seven-year-old would LOVE something like this!
I barely had time to take the book out of the package before my son decided this was something that he just HAD to look at! Immediately the fantastic cover drew him in!
And then the reading began...
We both poured over this book over the next couple of days and would find ourselves laughing at some of the silliest things! I'm such a fan! Any book that can hold a seven-year-old's and thirty-something-year-old's interest simultaneously, is nothing short of brilliant!
Uncle John's Bathroom Reader is interspersed with trivia that enlightens and humorous anecdotes and information that even an adult will find entertaining! Whether you have a child in your life that you feel would enjoy to learn how many times a day one belches, or you would like a few quotations from Abraham Lincoln, this is your source!
A funny, delightful read, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader is one that I won't soon forget!
~My Rating~
~From the Editor~
How did you decide what trivia is age-appropriate for "Uncle John's Bathroom Reader"? Was some of it knowledge you already had? How much research--if any--was involved?
We started by picking topics that would have interested us as kids. Then we filtered it through a special “what would have shocked us or embarrassed us or caused our parents or teachers to take the book away from us” filter and included as much of that as we could get away with. Then we hired an editor with 15 years of experience working on children’s books and magazines, including Highlights for Children, to craft and assemble the articles and art. And a number of our writers are teachers, who have finely-attuned radar when it comes to knowing what’s appropriate for kids. Finally, we made sure we included the one thing kids asked for most often in letters to Uncle John—more stuff about farts.
~About the Editor~
The life of Gordon “Uncle John” Javna, editor-in-chief and publisher of the Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader series, reads like one of his books. There’s a lot of fun, intriguing—often odd—information lurking around every corner. He went to art school, and then went on to become a musician, real-estate developer, writer, restaurateur, president of a pre-school, brew pub owner, and editor—not all at once, mind you, but he has been all of these things.
Eventually, though, he realized that because of his love of fascinating facts (and being a bathroom reader himself), he was naturally suited, perhaps even destined, to bring the joy of trivia to the world in a fun, informative way. He assumed the pseudonym Uncle John for the Bathroom Reader series and since then, Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader has become the longest-running, most popular series of its kind in the publishing industry. To date, there are more than 15 million Uncle John’s Bathroom Readers in print and his fanatical flock of followers span from Australia to the United Kingdom and beyond.
Guided by their obsession with unusual trivia, amazing origins, and forgotten history, Gordon “Uncle John” Javna and his staff at the Bathroom Readers' Institute have made Uncle John’s Bathroom Readers a must-have for book and gift stores worldwide for over two decades. Gordon continues to expand his porcelain province from his throne room in Ashland, Oregon.
Tour Schedule
Monday, June 30th - Candace's Book Blog
Tuesday, July 1st - Cindy's Love of Books
Wednesday, July 2nd - Proud Book Nerd
Thursday, July 3rd - Bumbles and Fairy-Tales
Friday July 4th - Cassandra M's Place
Monday, July 7th - Sweet Southern Home
Tuesday, July 8th - Confessions of a Book Addict
Wednesday, July 9th - Little Red Reads
Thursday, July 10th - Me, My Shelf and I
Friday July 11th - Bewitched Bookworms
Monday, July 14th - Kindle and Me
Tuesday, July 15th - Snowdrop Dreams of Books
Wednesday, July 16th - Hott Books
Thursday, July 17th - alwaysjoart
Friday July 18th - Captivated Reading
Revolutionary (Anomaly #3)
Author: Krista McGee
Pub. Date: July 15, 2014
Acquired: From author/publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Find "Revolutionary": Amazon | B&N
Kobo Books | The Book Depository
All her life Thalli thought she was an anomaly. Now she must use her gifts to fulfill the role she was called to play: Revolutionary.
Back in the underground State against her will, Thalli is no longer the anomaly she was before. She has proven herself to be a powerful leader aboveground and returns with information that Dr. Loudin needs to complete his plan of uniting the world under one leader: himself. But he, too, has information. A secret he has kept from Thalli her entire life. A secret that, once revealed, changes everything about the person Thalli thought she was.
Hoping to help Thalli rise up against the Scientists, both Berk and Alex join her underground, but their presence only brings more trouble for her. Now Dr. Loudin knows just the leverage to use on his captive, and she is forced to choose between the two of them. Is her first love her true love? Or does Alex ultimately claim her heart?
Unsure of everything around her, including her own identity, Thalli doesn’t know where to turn. She knows she needs the Designer, but he seems further away than ever. What she does know, though, is that if she doesn’t do something to stop Loudin, the fragile world aboveground will be lost once and for all.
~My Review~
Each book in this series just seems to have gotten better and better.
What started out as a book with just a minimal amount of characters, grew into a story with many characters--all integral to the plot. Not only that but the characters that have been in the series from the beginning are so much more fleshed out in Revolutionary. There's been some definite growth here.
With each installment having its own specific death-defying scenario, it's no surprise that Revolutionary was able to capture and keep my attention the whole way through. This is definitely a read that I didn't want any interruptions for.
There is a slight love-triangle, but I believe if you read Luminary, you knew that it was coming. Seeing as how it wasn't really the spotlight of the story, I think it actually worked quite well in getting the plot moved along.
After this series I can honestly say that I'm very anxious to read more from Ms. McGee.
~My Rating~
~Giveaway~
a Rafflecopter giveaway
~About the Author~
Krista writes for teens, teaches teens, and more often than not, acts like a teen. She and her family have lived and ministered in Texas, Costa Rica, and Spain. Her current hometown is Tampa, FL.
Anomaly (Anomaly #1)
Author: Krista McGee
Pub. Date: Jan. 7, 2014
Acquired: From author/publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Find "Luminary": Amazon | B&N
She was an anomaly with a death sentence. Now she's free.
Thalli was scheduled for annihilation. She was considered an anomaly--able to experience emotions that should have been eradicated by genetic modification. The Scientists running the State couldn't allow her to bring undue chaos to their peaceful, ordered world. But seconds before her death, she is rescued.
Now Thalli is above ground in a world she thought was destroyed. A world where not even the air is safe to breathe. She and her three friends must journey across this unknown land, their destination a hidden civilization. It's their only chance of survival.
Broken and exhausted after an arduous journey, they arrive in New Hope, a town that survived the nuclear holocaust. When Thalli meets the people there--people actually "born" to "families"--her small world is blown wide open.
Soon after their arrival to New Hope, the town comes under attack. She has escaped imminent death, but now Thalli is thrust into a new fight--a fight to save her new home. Does she know enough about this world of emotions, this world of chaos, to save not only herself, but the people she has come to love?
~My Review~
Another great installment to the Anomaly series! Luminary kept me wrapped up in the story start to finish! This was one of those that I read overnight.
I love the character development that happened with Thalli. She's more and more showing the humanity that labeled her an Anomaly. She's simultaneously trying to embrace the emotions that were forbidden yet at the same time, she's having to learn to control them.
What a fantastic story!
Stay tuned for my review of Anomaly #3, Revolutionary, tomorrow!
~My Rating~
~About the Author~
Krista writes for teens, teaches teens, and more often than not, acts like a teen. She and her family have lived and ministered in Texas, Costa Rica, and Spain. Her current hometown is Tampa, FL.
Anomaly (Anomaly #1)
Author: Krista McGee
Pub. Date: July 9, 2013
Acquired: Purchased.
Find "Anomaly": Amazon | B&N
Thalli has fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds left to live. The toxic gas that will complete her annihilation is invading her bloodstream. But she is not afraid.
Thalli is different than others in The State. She feels things. She asks questions. And in the State, this is not tolerated. The Ten scientists who survived the nuclear war that destroyed the world above believe that emotion was at the core of what went wrong—and they have genetically removed it from the citizens they have since created. Thalli has kept her malformation secret from those who have monitored her for most of her life, but when she receives an ancient piece of music to record as her community’s assigned musician, she can no longer keep her emotions secreted away.
Seen as a threat to the harmony of her Pod, Thalli is taken to the Scientists for immediate annihilation. But before that can happen, Berk—her former Pod mate who is being groomed as a Scientist—steps in and persuades the Scientists to keep Thalli alive as a test subject.
The more time she spends in the Scientist’s Pod, the clearer it becomes that things are not as simple as she was programmed to believe. She hears stories of a Designer—stories that fill her mind with more questions: Who can she trust? What is this emotion called love? And what if she isn’t just an anomaly, but part of a greater design?
~My Review~
Truth be told, as much as I love Jesus, I don't usually read a lot of Christian fiction. I find it a little contrived and a whole lot cheesy--at times. There are a few exceptions, and I've reviewed some of those exceptions on here.
My newest exception? Anomaly.
Now, before you decide to ignore this one because of its "religious" undertones, please let me remind you: I don't normally do Christian books!
But, this one has such an intriguing story that the message just serves as the cherry on top of the fantastic apocalyptic-sundae.
The characters are intense yet relatable, the setting is mysterious and foreboding. The main character, Thalli, seems to be up a creek without a paddle, so-to-speak, for most of the story, yet there's a beauty in the hopelessness BECAUSE of its inspirational message.
Christianity not for you?
Well, I firmly believe you can still enjoy this tale. While I believe in its message whole-heartedly, I also believe that for those that aren't Jesus-inclined, Ms. McGee created a world that will still leave you wanting to know more. Questioning how everything will come together. Wanting to know a little more about the belief-system that drives these individuals into thinking they can survive the impossible.
I think you'll also be wanting to see more of the Thalli-Berk romance. Because I have a feeling that it's just the beginning for these two.
Romance, suspense, a uniquely wholesome message? What's not to love?!
Stay tuned for my review of Anomaly #2, Luminary coming tomorrow!
~My Rating~
~About the Author~
Krista writes for teens, teaches teens, and more often than not, acts like a teen. She and her family have lived and ministered in Texas, Costa Rica, and Spain. Her current hometown is Tampa, FL.
