Showing posts with label arc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arc. Show all posts

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Mini Review: A Fairy Extraordinary Christmas Story by A.J. York

A Fairy Extraordinary Christmas Story by A.J. York
A Fairy Extraordinary Christmas Story
Release Date
: November 27, 2015
Publisher:  Nova Sky Books
Format: ebook, 31 pages
Genre:
Children’s Fantasy
Source: Author 
Author:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Upstairs in the Anderson’s attic there is chatter coming from the Christmas, Easter and Halloween boxes. Someone new has arrived. Tallulah the Christmas Fairy wakes to find herself attached to the top of a tree. She soon makes friends and has a magical first Christmas. Once the festivities are over, Tallulah finds herself in the attic with the other decorations from Easter and Halloween. Each year they watch the seasons change as they wait excitedly for their turn to go downstairs. Until one day new boxes appear and then the unthinkable happens. A Fairy Extraordinary Christmas Story is a magical and uplifting tale for the whole family.






This is a story about a Christmas fairy named Tallulah. Tallulah was created by an older couple and sold to a family to be put on top of a Christmas tree. The special thing about Tallulah is that she is alive! Soon she figures out that not only is she alive, but so are all the other Christmas, and other holiday, decorations. She makes new friends and figures out what she is for and what Christmas is all about.

Tallulah is around to be on top of the tree with all her friends for years. She watches the family she has come to know grow up and move on to be with their own families. Until one day when Christmas didn’t seem to come for the decorations. So the decorations took it into their own hands to make the holiday.


This was such a quick and cute Christmas story. I have read a couple other stories by this author and enjoyed both of those as well so I was more than happy to read and review this book when the author asked. If you have children, or like to read children’s books yourself, then I highly recommend checking out A.J’s books. 



*This was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Review: Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
Horrorstör
Release Date: September 23rd 2014
Publisher: Quirk Books
Format: ARC
Pages: 240
Genre: Horror
Source:
Publisher
Author:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Columbus, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring wardrobes, shattered Brooka glassware, and vandalized Liripip sofa beds clearly, someone or something is up to no good.

To unravel the mystery, five young employees volunteer for a long dusk-till-dawn shift—and they encounter horrors that defy imagination. Along the way, author Grady Hendrix infuses sly social commentary on the nature of work in the new twenty-first century economy.

A traditional haunted house story in a contemporary setting (and full of current fears), Horrorstör comes conveniently packaged in the form of a retail catalog, complete with illustrations of ready-to-assemble furniture and other, more sinister accessories. We promise you’ve never seen anything quite like it!


*This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Amy transferred to the Cuyahoga from Youngstown when the new store opened. It has only been eleven months but Amy has had enough. She has a younger than her manager, Basil, that she swears has it out for her and she is sure she is going to get fired before her transfer back to her old store gets pushed through. Getting fired would be bad for Amy. She owes her roommates rent money and she refuses to move back to her mom’s trailer. Then Basil gives Amy a deal she can’t refuse. If she stays overnight with him and another coworker, Ruth Anne, he will pay her double overtime and make sure her transfer gets pushed through. All they have to do is a walk of the store every hour to see if they can catch who is vandalizing the store. She agrees, which is probably one of the biggest mistakes she’ll make.

Amy is forced to hear Basil’s speeches all night so her easy escape is to the bathroom where she knows he won’t follow. However, every time she goes in there she notices weird graffiti on the walls and there just keeps appearing more and more. Then on a walk around with Ruth Anne, they discover their coworkers, Matt and Trinity have snuck in to do some paranormal investigations and Trinity is sure she actually found something. Then Trinity decides to hold a séance that goes very wrong.  

Amy is a little bit irritating at times and Basil seems like a no it all. He actually makes some decisions that make me want to slap him. Ruth Anne is an interesting character that acts almost like a child sometimes. Trinity needs to take a big old chill pill, especially when you are first introduced to her.  I would say my favorite character might actually be Matt.

Horrorstör is set up to look like a catalog very similar to Ikea. I have never had the pleasure of visiting an Ikea but you could say it is on my bucket list. There is a map of the store at the beginning of the book, along with an ordering form, which is pretty funny.  At the beginning of every chapter there is a picture and description showcasing different products which are mentioned in the book. The further into the book you get the darker the products are. Some of the descriptions are actually pretty funny when you get towards the end of the book.  

This book is labeled as an adult horror novel but I wouldn’t put it that far. I would say this actually falls into the New Adult category because Amy is college aged which I often forgot because she sometimes acted like a high-schooler. There are definitely some creepier parts in the book and it definitely falls into the paranormal category but I never found myself actually scared while reading this book.  There was a part in the book that involves a restraining chair and I felt myself getting uncomfortable while reading it because I hate being restrained myself so I could only imagine what that felt like.

Horrorstör wasn’t the best horror novel that I’ve read but I did enjoy the story. I actually enjoyed more than I expected I would and ended up reading it in one sitting. I recommend this book to anyone that thinks it sounds interesting. I especially recommend it to fans (or employees) of Ikea!






Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Blog Tour Review & GIVEAWAY: Indigo Incite by Jacinda Buchmann



Indigo Incite by Jacinda Buchmann
Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy, #1)
Series: The Indigo Trilogy, #1
Release Date
: September 7th 2013
Publisher:  Createspace
Format:
Paperback
Pages
: 272
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal
Source:
Author
Author:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

There are no secrets

Sixteen-year-old Tyler believed that his extra-sensory powers were a secret, but when his twin brother, Toby, is kidnapped by a covert government agency, he realizes that he has no secrets, and he has nowhere to hide.

He’s not alone

Now, to save himself and rescue his brother, Tyler must call upon the help of four strangers. Unknown to each other, Eddie, Liliana, Grace, and Sarah share a common bond. They are Indigo Children. With extra-sensory powers of their own, they must unite with Tyler to maintain their freedom.

Unexpected romance

They’re on the run. They’re on a mission. Romance is a distraction that Tyler can’t afford. But sometimes, the heart has a mind of its own.

Time is running out

Will they find Toby before the agency finds them first? Find out in Indigo Incite, Book One of the Indigo Trilogy.


This is a story that provides point of view from six different people. The first two are the main characters of the book, Tyler and Toby, sixteen year old twin brothers currently living with overbearing foster parents. Then we have Eddie, a college kid currently studying physics. Liliana, a Chinese American currently staying with her only Chinese speaking grandfather while her parents and grandmother are in China. Grace, a high school girl whose grandfather has passed away and she’s in a relationship she doesn’t really believe in. and finally Sarah, a pregnant waitress whose husband is currently away at war. All these characters have way more in common than you would think and it is Tyler’s job to locate them to save them from the same fate his brother is currently enduring. All of the characters are special in their own way and someone wants them bad enough to take them.

Tyler and his brother Toby have been extremely close their whole lives. They have always been able to communicate with each other telepathically, among other special traits they have. Their bond grew closer when their mother passed away and they were sent to live with their grandmother while their father was on business. One day their father just quit coming to see them. When their grandmother passes away they are forced into foster care and eventually end up with a couple that only wants them for the government’s money and the free labor. When Tyler gets involved in a shoplifting incident he is sent off to a military school and is away from his brother for the first time.  When he suddenly gets a message from his brother telling him he has been kidnapped and he needs to get away while he can and find these people.

Their adventure takes them from state to state trying to find this list of different people, all the while explaining to each one why they should leave everything and come with them. Only one of the characters really decides not to, even though she changes her mind late, all the others seem to pretty willing come right along. This all happens so easily. No phone calls from school or parents or anything. I’m really surprised that no adult asked them any questions.

There is a mild bit of suspense with this book because you are not sure if they are going to get caught or what is going to happen next but their aren’t really to many action scenes. I would have liked to see more running and close calls but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. It was interesting to learn who was after them and why.

The writing was decent although I did run into some grammar mistakes and some of the phrases used were a little repetitive.  The plot is interesting and held my attention through the entire book. There is also just enough romantic tension between some of the characters to add something different to the main plot.  

I recommend picking this book up if you are into reading about special abilities and secret government agencies. I look forward to checking out the next book in the trilogy.

My Rating:



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Check out the Trailer



If you would like to check out other stops on the tour click HERE



{About the Author}


Jacinda Buchmann lives in Arizona with her husband and three children. She graduated from Carroll College, in Helena, Montana, with a B.A. in elementary education and later received a Master’s degree from Northern Arizona University, in school counseling. After spending several years as a teacher and later a school counselor, she now spends her time writing, any free chance she can get, that is, when she’s not spending time with her family or creating a new concoction in the kitchen.











Sunday, January 5, 2014

Bookish Buys & Weekly Wrap-up #21


This is where I show everything I that I bought, borrowed, or just added to my bookshelf over the past week. I throw together Showcase Sunday and Stacking the Shelves in one post.  I also include a wrap-up of everything that was posted to the blog this past week.

Showcase Sunday is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Team at Tynga’s Reviews. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

{Bought}

Finally was able to find a couple thing at Half Price Books! I was so excited to be buying a physical book. It seems like it’s been so long!







Picked up the first three books in the Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore on Amazon for 99 cents each! It must have been a one day thing because I went to check to see if it was still there and it wasn't.  

I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies, #1)The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies, #2)The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies, #3)





{Review}

I was good and stayed away from Edelweiss this week but I did get approved for a couple books on NetGalley. I also got a book for a blog tour and a book from the publisher.

The Polaris Uprising (Polaris, #1)

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge


Spark (Swipe, #4)The Here and Now

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

Spark (Swipe, #4) by Evan Angler

This Week on Laura’s Adventures in Bookland
{Features}

Wishlist Wednesday #75The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

{Other Posts}






How was your week? Let me know in the comments!

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Review: Beyond by S.P. van der Lee

Beyond by S.P. van der Lee
18668746

Series: Beyond, #1
Release Date
: November 25th 2013
Format: ebook
Pages
: 264
Genre: Young Adult – Paranormal/Romance
Source:
Author
Author:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads


Sixteen-year-old Raven desperately wants to fit in, but after using a Ouija Board, her already overwhelming hallucinations take a turn for the worse. A ghostly figure named Sam begins to haunt Raven and seems eager to kill her.
She’s saved by a reclusive biker named Damian who goes to the same school and appears to have an interest in her. Raven can’t help but feel drawn to him. Determined to uncover Damian’s connection to the ghost, Raven sets out to discover his secret and the reason Sam started haunting her. However, there’s more at stake than just her reputation. Raven’s choice between unveiling Damian’s true intentions, and living a normal life will put everyone she cares about at risk. To save them, she'll have to go beyond.

Lives are ruined.
Hearts are shattered.
Death lurks at every corner.


I really wanted to like this book but I didn’t. The plot is good but I think it could have been done better and I had a problem with the writing style.

This book follows the point of view of Raven. Raven is sixteen years old and has moved from house to house, constantly trying to fit in. She has been told her whole life that she is having hallucinations that just seem to be getting worse. Her mother insists she take medications to keep her hallucinations to a minimum. However one night when her and her friends decide to use a Ouija and she starts seeing things worse than ever. Then a very mysterious boy comes to her rescue and this of course becomes the love interest. You could tell that from like the first five pages though.

Just Raven and her mom are the ones that move from house to house. When I first started reading the book the mother seemed so fake and almost over the top that I thought there was no way that I am going to get through this book. I don’t know if I just got used to it or if it calmed down some but it bothered me a little less as I read more. At the beginning of the story her and her mother seem to be close but then something just snaps and she decides to constantly fight with her and break all the rules. Thankfully there weren’t a ton of interactions with the mother anyway.

Raven seemed so nosey, whiney, and vain that I could barely stand her. I felt no connections to the characters, which made me really not care about the book. The love triangle, which is sort of one sided is weird. I was sort of rooting for Simon’s character but he seems like he has something to hide. Damien is a bad boy that treats her like crap through most of the story but she is almost obsessed with him and she has no reason to be. Her friends, Lillian and Emma, are pretty much the definition of mean girls. I see no reason why she would want to be friends with them.

There are some inconsistencies with the book and with some editing I think this could be better. However, I had to force myself to finish the book. There was one part towards the end of the book that had me intrigued to see what happens next. I always like to give the second book in the series a try, just to see if it gets better. So if there is a second book released then I will probably be reading it.
 
Oh but I do like the cover...


My Rating

 

 

*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Review: Destiny, Rewritten by Kathryn Fitzmaurice


Destiny, Rewritten by Kathryn Fitzmaurice
Hardcover
, 176 pages
Expected publication: February 19th 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books
Goodreads|Amazon

Des·tin·y: |destinē/
(noun) The hidden power believed to control what will happen in the future; fate.

Eleven-year-old Emily Elizabeth Davis has been told for her entire life that her destiny is to become a poet, just like her famous namesake, Emily Dickinson. But Emily doesn’t even really like poetry, and she has a secret career ambition that she suspects her English-professor mother will frown on. Then a seeming tragedy strikes: just after discovering that it contains an important family secret, she accidentally loses the special copy of Emily Dickinson’s poetry that was given to her at birth. As Emily and her friends search for the lost book in used bookstores and thrift shops all across town, Emily’s understanding of destiny begins to unravel and then rewrite itself in a marvelous new way.

In her third novel, Kathryn Fitzmaurice again weaves a richly textured and delightful story about unexpected connections, about the ways that friends can help us see ourselves for who we truly are, and about the most perfect kinds of happy endings: those that happen just on time.

As the synopsis says, this book follows around a 6th grade girl named Emily. She goes on quiet an adventure around town trying to find a book that was accidently given away. Her mother is almost what you would consider a hippy, but not quite. She fully believes in fate and if something doesn’t work right or something happens then that is what was supposed to happen. She doesn’t think Emily should go searching because then her fate will be messed up. Her mom named her after the poet Emily Dickenson and fully believes that it is her fate to become a poet like her namesake. Emily, however, doesn’t like poetry and is afraid what her mom will think of the job she does want.

Throughout the book Emily is trying to find her book so she will know who her father is. This isn’t really a spoiler, you find out pretty early in the book. She consistently writes letters to the author, Danielle Steele, about her life and sending the author happy endings she has written. I thought the letters where actually interesting and I liked reading those when I got to them.

This book was a little young for me. It follows around a young girl and therefore you get the thoughts and dialogue from a young girl. Some of the banter that happens between her and her friends goes on a little long for me but it does sound likes something a young girl would do. There is also a poem theme throughout the book. The class has an entire conversation in Haiku form and their friend Cecily Ann writes poems about everything.

I will admit that once I got a little more than halfway through I started to skim pages. It was not a bad book it was just too young for me I think. The chapters are short and easy to read for younger kids but I felt like the book was a little long for children that age. Maybe I just don’t remember what I read when I was that young. I did have an arc copy so I’m not sure what the actual copy will look like but my arc had over 330 pages.

Anyway, I recommend this for younger kids (girls will probably enjoy it the most).

 

My Rating:

 

*I received this book for review from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Review: Once Upon A Time Machine by Nordling, Rodriguez, Alexander, etc. (Graphic Novel)


Once Upon A Time Machine by Lee Nordling, Jason Rodriguez, Tara Alexander, etc.
Paperback, 432 pages
Expected publication: October 10th 2012 by Dark Horse Comics
Goodreads|Amazon



Fairy tales have fueled our dreams and fired our imaginations for centuries. Step inside a time machine built by a collection of today’s finest storytellers, and enter a range of futures where familiar tales are reimagined in an astonishing variety of styles. Editors Andrew Carl and Chris Stevens bring you the next wave of leading writers and illustrators working alongside superstar creators like Farel Dalrymple (Pop Gun War), Ryan Ottley (Invincible), Khoi Pham (Daredevil), and Brandon Graham (King City) to deliver a reading experience that will delight generations young and old.



The first complaint I had was that this book wasn’t made to be read on the computer so it was a bit blurry at times. Some of the stories I was able to read because of that.

This is a graphic novel of various fairy tales and overall I was a little disappointed. I thought this book was going to be great and that usually ends in disappointment. There were definitely some stories I liked but a lot of them confused me. I highly suggest that you have a basic knowledge of all the fairytales before you read this book. Some of the stories I had never heard of so I was really confused by the retellings. Even some of the retellings where I knew the original story were hard to follow. They were very "out there." 

My favorite story was the Goldilocks and the Three Bears or Silver-Hair and the Three Xairs. That one actually made me laugh out loud. I also liked Pinocchio or The Stars Are Not Wanted Now and Sweet Porridge or Sweet Science.

The graphics throughout the stories weren’t bad but I didn’t think they were anything amazing. I think that is more just my taste. I did really like the illustrations that were between the stories that depicted various characters. Peter Pan, Unicorns, Santa Clause, and Tinker Bell and friends were some of my favorites. I did like pretty much all of those though.

I think this book will have a limited audience who really likes it. Not only do you need to like the classic fairytales but you also need to like graphic novels and a certain type of artwork. In the end I would buy this book so it can have a spot on my shelf.

My Rating


* This book was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review.