4 stars review: The Shadow Reader

The Shadow Reader (Shadow Reader #1)

by Sandy Williams

Synopsis:

There can only be one allegiance.
It’s her time to choose.

Some humans can see the fae. McKenzie Lewis can track them, reading the shadows they leave behind. But some shadows lead to danger. Others lead to lies.

A Houston college student trying to finish her degree, McKenzie has been working for the fae king for years, tracking vicious rebels who would claim the Realm. Her job isn’t her only secret. For just as long, she’s been in love with Kyol, the king’s sword-master—and relationships between humans and fae are forbidden.

But any hope for a normal life is shattered when she’s captured by Aren, the fierce and uncompromising rebel leader. He teaches her the forbidden fae language and tells her dark truths about the Court, all to persuade her to turn against the king. Time is running out, and as the fight starts to claim human lives, McKenzie has no choice but to decide once and for all whom to trust and where she ultimately stands in the face of a cataclysmic civil war. 

My Thoughts:

4 stars.

There are books in which you have to work your way through and others that you get caught from page one. This is one of the latter.

What do we find in 'The Shadow Reader'?

• Tons of action --->Checked
• Heart melting love story ---> Checked
• Awesome heroine ---> Checked

The action starts in the first chapter and it's non stop. That being said, I read this in one sitting.

The characters are lovable. McKenzie is funny, witty and extremely resourceful. Also I like the way she faces and fights her feelings. She is brave but real. She gets tired, hurt and jealous. I totally like her. What she lacks in ability she compensates with perseverance and courage.

On the other hand, Aren is amazing, funny and intriguing... sexy is another word I would choose... although he is a permanent contradiction, I love his personality and the feelings he triggers in me but at the same I want to slap him. 

One thing I must admit is that at the scene at the wedding ... dancing... 

OH MY! My heart melted.

Kelia and Naito are cool supporting characters as well. Their story was super cute.

Plot and writing:

• The plot is interesting and the pace is fast. Such a great combo.
• I enjoyed the writing very much
• It's amazing how the author makes us feel what McKenzie is feeling, for example, the scene in Lyechaban. I could totally feel her fear. 

Yes!!! I am definitely reading the second installment!

Review: The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3)

The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3) 
by Julie Kagawa

Blurb:

My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

MY THOUGHTS:

Ok, never in the history of time, I've read 3 books of a same series one after the other (well once, but there were short books, like 150 pages each so they don't count)

I'm so thrilled by this story that I can't let go! Lucky for me I bought the complete series in a beautiful Box Set.
Ta- da!!!

Every book excels the previous one. The adventures get more interesting, I am totally attached to all of these magical characters.
I feel for them, laugh, cry with them and even get angry with them.

I loved that in this one, Ash and Meghan's relationship gets a little more serious. I would have loved a bit more depth in the relationship all through the series but anyway, I am just so in love with everything in The Iron Fey Series. 

Guess what? Grimalkin keeps being the most amazing cat ever!!! He is always dissapearing and popping up in the moments where they need him the most.


“Looks like nobody’s home,” Puck said, turning in a slow circle. “Hellooooooooo? Anybody here?”

“Be quiet, Goodfellow,” Ash growled, peering into the shadows with narrowed eyes. “We’re not alone.”

“Yeah? How do you figure that, prince? I don’t see anyone.”

“The cait sith has disappeared.”

“ … Crap.” 

But I must admit, I did like Meghan very much in this book. Instead of being like a desperate girl (as in many other series the protagonist is) she decides to learn how to fight and she turns into a kick a** heroine. She is so determined and strong willed. 

“But ... but what if I hit you?”
A snort. “You’re not going to hit me.”
“How do you know?” I bristled at his amused tone. “I could hit you. Even master swordsmen make mistakes. I could get a lucky shot, or you might not see me coming. I don’t want to hurt you.”
He favored me with another patient look. “And how much experience do you have with swords and weapons in general?” 
“Um.” I glanced down at the saber in my hand. “Thirty seconds?”
He smiled, that calm, irritatingly confident smirk. “You’re not going to hit me.” 



This book is absolutely amazing, and the end... OMG! so heartbreaking!
Of course,  grabbed The Iron Knight already!



BTW: If you haven't done it yet, enter my blogoversary giveaway HERE.

I hope you guys liked it!

Rhomy.

Review: The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2)

The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2)

by Julie Kagawa

Blurb:

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

MY THOUGHTS:

This book picks up exactly where book 1 ended. (well a few days later actually)

Ash had to fulfill his vow and took Meghan to the Unseelie Court. There, she remains a prisioner of Mab, the wicked Unseelie Queen.

My whole impression is that this series keeps getting better. The Iron Daughter grabbed my attention from the very beginning until the last page.

The real journey begins when Sage, Ash's elder brother, gets killed and the Scepter of Seasons is stolen and the Summer Court is blamed for that.

Of course, noone believes Meghan when she insists, the Iron Fey are to be blamed.

In this book we have even more action than in book number one, we have a lot more passion as well.

A love triangle of sort... it was a bit obvious what her feelings actually were but anyway, it was nice to see how it unfolded.

We have new enemies that need to be destroyed, and new allies that come to the rescue... you may say... such as the intriguing queen of exiles, Leanansidhe, who somehow reminded me of Cruella de Vil of the 101 Dalmatians lol.

The writing of J. Kagawa just improved, I am surprised by her vast imagination.

Definitely Grim keeps being my favorite character ever. Meghan was a bit dramatic here...  I don't think Puck deserved what she did but... 

Also, there were 2 situations that broke my heart. I don't want to spoil anything in case you are one of those few people that haven't read this book yet hehe, but let's say that one involved Ash and the other one involved Iron horse.

Absolutely jumping to book 3.

BTW: If you haven't done it yet, enter my blogoversary giveaway HERE.

I hope you guys liked it.

Rhomy.

Influential Magic by Deanna Chase, Interview, excerpt and Giveaway

Influential Magic (Crescent City Fae #1)

by Deanna Chase

Genre: Urban Fantasy 

ISBN: 978-0983797876

ASIN: B00BQ3C9PO

Number of pages: 318

Word Count: 95,000 words

Cover Artist: Art by PhatPuppy

Kindle    Trade Paperback

BN   Kobo   Smashwords 

Book Description:

It’s tough being a faery in New Orleans, a city fraught with vampires… especially when their very existence drains your life-force.

Willow Rhoswen, owner of The Fated Cupcake and part-time vampire hunter for the Void is having a rough week. Four years after her twin brother’s mysterious death, Willow’s life is threatened and the director saddles her with a new partner—her ex-boyfriend, David. To her horror, he’s turned vamp, which causes her physical pain whenever she touches him… and any other specimen of the undead.

In order to save Willow’s life, David agrees to turn double agent against the most powerful vampire organization in New Orleans. Or so he says. And she’s convinced they know something about her brother’s death. Unsure where David’s loyalties lie, she turns to Talisen, her childhood crush, to help her solve the mystery.

Caught between two gorgeous men and a director who’ll stop at nothing to control Willow’s gifts, she’ll have to follow her instincts and learn who to trust.

Otherwise, she risks losing more than just her life. 

Excerpt #1

A low chuckle rumbled from the branch.

“Wil, I think our friend finds us amusing.” Phoebe gripped her black agate crystal.

“Just you,” the vamp replied, his voice as deep and gritty as a thirty-year chain-smoker. “She’s interesting, as well as that dog of hers, but I’ve been looking forward to this matchup for some time.”

A grin broke on Phoebe’s profile and her eyes glittered. “Oh, good. A challenge.”

The hooded figure leapt from the branch a second before Phoebe blasted the spot with her sunlight-infused agate. The branch sizzled and, with a deafening crack, landed inches from where Phoebe had been standing.

 “Holy fae,” I breathed and took off after Phoebe, who was now sprinting to catch the vampire. She sped up, periodically flashing her agate, trying to stun him. His reflexes proved to be far superior to the average vampire’s, and I suspected this one had been around much longer than most. He alternated back and forth from the tree limbs to the cemetery wall in smooth, graceful movements, deliberately waiting for Phoebe to make a move before leaping.

He was playing with her.

At the end of the cemetery, the vampire turned and looked Phoebe in the eye. “What else you got, witch?”

 Phoebe stopped yards ahead of me, her tiny, lithe body seeming to grow a few inches. She lifted her left hand straight out, palm up and shouted, “Siste!”

Her long, glossy black hair fell from its bun, whipping straight back in the windless night.

The power behind the spell rooted me to the path, frozen in a running pose. Link was a few yards ahead of her, suspended in midair, his face scrunched up in a snarl. The vampire’s laughter rang clear as he bounded onto a nearby rooftop and disappeared.

“Fuck!” Phoebe shouted as the power dissipated.

With the spell broken, I lost my balance and fell face-first on the hard brick sidewalk.

Link shot ahead, his little legs never breaking the run. His body shimmered gold before his limbs gave way, expanding until he’d grown to ten times his normal size. Once again in wolf form, he shot out of sight, sprinting after the vampire.

I groaned and rolled over, staring into Phoebe’s exhausted face. “You all right?”

She offered me a hand. “Yeah, but shit. I lost him.”

“How’d he do that?” I’d never seen a vampire manipulate her magic before. “It’s like he blocked it.”

“He deflected the spell, and it hit you and Link instead.” She rubbed her temple. “I don’t know how. I’ll need to do some research.”

I nodded. “I can’t sense him anymore, he must be long gone. We better go find Link before animal control gets him again.” The last time they’d picked him up as a wolf, he’d turned back into a Shih Tzu before I could claim him. The paperwork confusion had been a nightmare.

“You go ahead. I’ll grab the car and catch up.”

“Okay. Be safe. I’ll keep an eye out for you.” Smiling, I flew to the nearest rooftop.

I spotted Link within moments. He was racing around the corner at the end of the street, his white coat gleaming in the moonlight. Had he picked up the vamp’s trail or had Phoebe’s magic sent him into a frenzy? I couldn’t feel the vampire, so it must have been the magic.

Or could I? My limbs were weighted as if the air was heavy, and my lungs had to work harder for oxygen. Something was off, though. It didn’t feel the same as the sticky, swimming death I’d experienced earlier. The sensation pressed lightly and then all at once clung to me.

A vampire was close. Really, really close. But why did it feel so different?

My heart picked up as panic set in. Link was blocks away. Phoebe was in the car somewhere, and I was alone on a roof.

Why had I taken off by myself? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I glanced around at the half-deserted neighborhood. A stone settled in my gut as recognition dawned. I was on vampire property. In the years after hurricane Katrina, the city had swelled with vampires. Drawn to the despair and lawlessness, the vampire population had more than tripled.

At first, they helped the struggling economy by buying up blocks of decimated homes. Unfortunately, they only rebuilt the one they lived in and left the others to rot. The perfect way to discourage neighbors. Vamps had been known to do a lot worse for privacy.

I scanned the streets for Phoebe’s car or a glimpse of Link. If I could find either of them I’d be fine. The silence grated. Alone on a roof with no cell phone and a vampire lying in wait. Now what?

I stretched my wings, fluttering a few feet off the rooftop. Flying always gave me a sense of control. I couldn’t cover a lot of ground, but I could move pretty quickly if I needed to. Faster than sprinting, anyway.

The sticky sensation stayed with me, but as I flew, the intensity lessened. Maybe he was in the building.

The thought didn’t put me at ease one little bit. Vamps were impossibly fast. If one had spotted me… Link reappeared at the end of the block.

“Finally.” I flexed my wings and shot toward the edge of the building.

“Willow?”

I spun. My wings stilled mid-flutter as pleasure heated my insides. I knew that voice and missed it more than I cared to admit. Managing to land gracefully on shaky legs, I peered through the moonlight. “David?”

He nodded.

Relief washed through my body at the sight of him, uncurling the knot I’d forgotten existed in my stomach. I took a step closer and froze.

Thick honey vampire energy clung to me and it was coming from my ex.

About the Author

Deanna is a native Californian, transplanted to the slower paced lifestyle of southeastern Louisiana.

When she isn't writing, she is often goofing off with her husband in New Orleans, playing with her two shih tzu dogs, making glass beads, or out hocking her wares at various bead shows across the country.

For more information and updates on newest releases visit her website at www.deannachase.com

http://www.facebook.com/DeannaChaseAuthor

https://twitter.com/writerdeanna

http://deannachase.com/

Newsletter: http://ymlp.com/xgmsbhuygmgb

INTERVIEW

1. For people who haven’t heard of Influential Magic, make a brief description.

It's tough being a faery in New Orleans, a city fraught with vampires...especially when their very existence drains your life-force.

Willow Rhoswen, owner of The Fated Cupcake and part-time vampire hunter for the Void is having a rough week. Four years after her twin brother's mysterious death, Willow's life is threatened and the director saddles her with a new partner--her ex-boyfriend, David. To her horror, he's turned vamp, which causes her physical pain whenever she touches him... and any other specimen of the undead.

In order to save Willow's life, David agrees to turn double agent against the most powerful vampire organization in New Orleans. Or so he says. And she's convinced they know something about her brother's death. Unsure where David's loyalties lie, she turns to Talisen, her childhood crush, to help her solve the mystery.

Caught between two gorgeous men and a director who'll stop at nothing to control Willow's gifts, she'll have to follow her instincts and learn who to trust. Otherwise, she risks losing more than just her life.

2. What does your family think of your works?

I’m not exactly sure what they think as I’m not really that comfortable asking people I know. I wouldn’t want anyone to be put on the spot. But my mom does read all my work, and I know my sisters read it when they have time. All three of them are busy working moms, so their time is limited. They are all very proud of me though.

3. Do you have specific habits when you write?

Yes. It goes something like this. Time to write. Great. Let me go find some Diet Coke. Oh and maybe some berries. Wait, I better have lunch first. And I have to check email. About two hours goes by and then I force myself to sit down and write for thirty minutes. Then another thirty minutes. And then another. But each day, I start out procrastinating. It’s a sickness.

4. Are you an early bird or night owl?

Night owl for sure. I do most of my writing from 10 pm to 2 am. But I do try to get some writing done during the day. It’s just harder because my husband works from home and I’m always getting interrupted somehow.

5. Which of your characters is your favorite and why?

           The dogs. In Influential Magic there is Link, my were-wolf shifting Shih Tzu.     He’s based off my dog Duncan Donut. He pretty much embodies Link, except for the actual shifting part. Though he does fancy himself a wolf.

          In my Jade Calhoun series, I have a golden retriever ghost dog. His name is         Duke and is a nod to my special golden that we lost a few years ago. I like to           think she’s still with us, tapping around on our hardwood floors.

6. What do you do, besides writing?

            I make handmade glass beads. www.cdlampwork.etsy.com. Prior to writing it was my fulltime job for eight years. It’s an awesome creative outlet. I still make them, but not as often as I’d like.

7. Tell us about something crazy you’ve done.

When I was twenty-nine my husband and I quit out jobs, sold out house, and moved into an RV to travel the country for five years. Everyone we know thought one of two things: we were totally insane or totally cool. We’re sticking with totally cool. It was amazing and we loved every minute of it. Eventually we settled in south east Louisiana, where we still are today.

8. Best reward as a writer?

The day I got an email from a fan that told me my books got her back into reading after years of not picking up any books at all.

9. How do you react to a bad review?

I try not to react at all. Everyone gets a bad review every now and then. Everyone. So I read them, decide if the feedback is useful and then go back to writing.

10. Do you like singing or dancing? Does music inspire you?

I love music. No one wants to hear me sing or watch me dance, though. Trust me. We have a bird and if I sing along with the music, she yells at me. Squawks her head off. It isn’t pretty.

11. What thing you wish you could stop doing and you can’t?

            Drinking Diet Coke. I’m trying to wean myself, but it’s a struggle.

THANK YOU DEANNA FOR THIS GREAT INTERVIEW!

(note of the blogger: I think traveling around the country it's totally cool! and btw, it might be the age, I'm also 29 and I am dropping dentistry to go work on a cruise XD)

Tour Wide Giveaway.

• One tote bag with a notebook, keychain and signed copy of Influential Magic
• One notebook, keychain and signed copy of Influential Magic
• 3 keychains and signed copies of Influential Magic
• 5 signed print copies of Influential Magic
• 10 ebook copies of Influential Magic
• Physical prizes open to US Shipping

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May 22 Guest blog and review

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