Monday, April 29, 2013

13 British Horror Stories (review)


13 British Horror Stories 



Title: 13 British Horror Stories
Author: Rayne Hall
  Scimitar Press
Buy it or View on Goodreads
 

 
Summary:  "Thirteen creepy, atmospheric stories by Rayne Hall, all set in Britain.

This collection includes:

Take me to St Roch's
Seagulls
Never Leave Me
Double Rainbows
Scruples
Through the Tunnel
The Devil You Know
I Dived the Pandora
Four Bony Hands
Beltane
Druid Stones.
Burning
Only a Fool

The stories have been previously published in magazines, ezines, anthologies and collections. Some are also included in the Six Scary Tales books.

The words, spellings, grammar and punctuation are British English."
 
 
Review:  Overall, I enjoyed these stories.  Some more than others but each one worth taking a look at.  Each story is about 5-20 pages long so they are quick to read.  
 
These stories vary from creepy ghost stories, vengeful people and more.  My favorites included 'Take me to St Roch's,'  and 'Druid Stones.'  But there were many others I liked as well.  Seagulls reminded me a bit of the old horror story, 'The Birds' by Daphne du Maurier.  

One thing the author did that I found nice, was that at the beginning, she tells the reader how she got the idea for each story.  While I found this interesting, especially the time and dedication she puts into each one (and it shows in the stories),  I wish she had kept it s bit shorter.  A paragraph or so for each story would have been plenty but we get a bit more than that.

As I said, the author put in good time to understand the setting for each story, and it shows.  The description makes you feel as if you can be there yourself.  How she spend time in a cemetary at night to get that feeling is nicely portrayed.  

To me, a misleading fact is the title.  While the author does state that these are more creepy and not gore-fill (very true), I would not claim them as horror either.  Some are slightly unsettling and others have a creepy atmosphere but I don't like the use of the word horror to describe them.  
 
These stories can be read by any ages Middle school-adult and enjoyed by all.  You can read the whole book in one sitting or even just a story a day.   


 

 
 
 
 

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Sneak Peaks at New Release Titles April 2013

Browse Inside The Elite by Kiera Cass

For those of you who , like me, have not gotten the chance to get or read the book, here you are.
Click the link to read the first 67 (7 full chapters)pages of The Elite!

Also, if you click the the Tap in the Top left you can view other titles  like Sweet Peril, Divergent and more!

Giveaway Question

Giveaway Question!!!

So, I have a poll over to the right (under GFC followers) about Giveaways.  I want to know what you, my readers, would like to see me offer.  Please select any/all that apply.  

Also, feel free to leave a comment on this post.  Please let me know.  I have a stack of Arcs that I do not know what do do with when I finish them, I have a box of books to post on bookmooch but was debating on offering the more popular ones as prizes (like posting a giveaway for winners choice of a book I have available).  Or I can stick to gift cards or other goodies.  What sounds good to you?  I have never hosted a giveaway so feedback is highly valued.

I would like to start hosting giveaways once I reach around 50-100 followers (need at least 100 followers for me to offer a gift card).

Spellbinding (review)


Spellbinding 


Title: Spellbinding
Author: Maya Gold
  Scholastic Point 
Buy it or View on Goodreads

Summary:  "It is during a routine school project that Abby Silva--sixteen and nearly friendless--makes a startling discovery: She is descended from women who were accused of witchcraft back in 1600s Salem. And when Abby visits nearby Salem, strange, inexplicable events start to unfold. Objects move when she wills them to. Candles burst into sudden flame. And an ancient spellbook somehow winds up in her possession.

Trying to harness her newfound power, Abby concocts a love potion to win over her longtime crush--and exact revenge upon his cruel, bullying girlfriend. But old magic is not to be trifled with. Soon, Abby is thrust headlong into a world of hexes, secrets, and danger. And then there's Rem Anders, the beautiful, mysterious Salem boy who seems to know more about Abby than he first lets on.

A reckoning is coming, and Abby will have to make sense of her history--and her heart--before she can face the powerful truth."
Review:  The book is written in first person perspective of a teenage girl named Abby. She is just your average high school student for the most part, except lacking in friends. She only has one at a time, which I found kind of odd since she wasn't the some major introvert either. Naturally, like so many stories before this one, she likes the most popular guy in school. Likewise, his girlfriend is the nastiest piece of work in the school.

A school assignment sends her to Salem to learn of her family tree. She learns she is related to one of the 'witches' that was hung. While there she meets a guy named Rem whom she finds herself drawn toward, gets a job at a New Age shop and finds herself back home with a potion/spellbook. The whole trip was uncanny, right down to her moving a cone using...magic!?

So...surprise, surprise she finds some love and attraction spells and uses them on the popular boy, Travis. Soon he is trailing her like a puppy. Very cliche. Yet off to the side is the mysterious Rem who seems to breath hot and cold with her. This leaves us with a very standard love triangle.

As Abby delves deeper into magic, she begins to learn she is an elemental witch and that there are other witches is Salem as well.

Enough of the plot though. That is more than enough to get you started. Overall, the book was a fun read. Yet very predictable. I finished the book with a "Been there, Done that" feeling.

The pace was nicely done but I would have preferred the story to slow just a tad so I could get more into the characters. One thing I was curious on is that her employer tells her that Travis likes her yet even after the spell, I was wondering if that was true and maybe she should have asserted herself naturally first. But she didn't even try. I would have like to know more about the real witches in Salem but we don't get too much besides her and Rem. There was one part of the book I thought she was going to have a 'Carrie' moment (from the Stephen King book). Alas, I was denied that.

So while it was enjoyable to read, it brought nothing new to me as an older reader. This books may be perfect for someone reading their first teen witch book, however. It is appropriate enough for younger teens to read. No foul language which was nice, and while there was romance it was more chick-lit in style. Only 2 kisses in the whole book! So parents can rest assured of a good, clean book. For more experienced readers this can still be a fun read on a day off but don't expect many surprises or unique twists.


Note about the cover:  for some reason, when read the book, that is not how I envisioned Abby's hair.  She keeps describing it as 'wild.'  I don'e see it as wild.  Of course, since its currently being blown around but 'wind-swept' or 'lightly waved' might have been better for a visual idea.
Thank you to the publishers at Scholastic for giving me the opportunity to read and review this novel.



Stacking the Shelves #3


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   Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.




So this is a new weekly post I will be sharing every Weekend. This is to share with you my new books from the past week.  These are books I acquired from various sources  They can be from bookstores (new/used), trades/swaps, gifts, Arcs, from NetGalley, Amazon, Smashwords or anywhere else. Physical books and ebooks both are welcome. If it is something being sent to me by mail, I will not mention it until I actually receive it.  The only thing I will not list are books I am borrowing (whether from a friend or library) as the list would quickly become too long.  
Click on the picture to link you to Goodreads so you can view the summary and other information.
**Some of these I actually received last Fri/Sat and just did not get the chance to add them to last weeks post.  So this week has a lot :)
 ♥  ♦  ♣  ♠ 
January BlackElfhunter (Tales of Alterra, the World That Is)  

Books I have won in Contests or Giveaways
   









♥  ♦  ♣  ♠ 
The Reluctant Assassin (W.A.R.P., #1)Fyrelocke: Jack Boomershine and the Prophecy Untold  



Got these from NetGalley
Rooms
The Awakening: Aidan  
After The Ending (The Ending, #1)  
Colour Wielders (Heirs of the Magykal Realm Series #1)Demonic Dora
Rebel Spirits Nameless
Ghost Time
Spellbinding 

            
    
  



♥  ♦  ♣  ♠ 
  From Bookstore or Booksales

Star Wars:  Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories

♥  ♦  ♣  ♠ 
From Amazon 
Everblue (Mer Tales, #1)Exiled (The Protector, #1) 
Soul of the Dragon (Soul Series, #1) Medusa's Desire (Fate of Eros #1) 

The Blood King (Dardanos, Colorado #1) Nandana's Mark (Queen of the Realm of Faerie, #1)  


Friday, April 26, 2013

TGIF weekly 7

TGIF WEEKLY!!!



Welcome ! This is a weekly blog post that will share 3 books I have on my to-read list.  These are books I have gotten my hands on and have pulled aside and are therefore my top reading choices of the moment.
  My goal is to read, or at least start, one  or more of them between today and the following Friday.  Books may be fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels or anything else that might by fun or interesting to read.   
 So, some things came up with me this past week so I didn't get as much reading as I was hoping to.  Only read 1 1/2 books this week, and 2 graphic novels.  Sad week.  However I am lucky now as I have the weekend off and to myself for some good reading. :)
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Spellbinding
Summary:  "There's more than one way to be powerful . . .

It is during a routine school project that Abby Silva--sixteen and nearly friendless--makes a startling discovery: She is descended from women who were accused of witchcraft back in 1600s Salem. And when Abby visits nearby Salem, strange, inexplicable events start to unfold. Objects move when she wills them to. Candles burst into sudden flame. And an ancient spellbook somehow winds up in her possession.

Trying to harness her newfound power, Abby concocts a love potion to win over her longtime crush--and exact revenge upon his cruel, bullying girlfriend. But old magic is not to be trifled with. Soon, Abby is thrust headlong into a world of hexes, secrets, and danger. And then there's Rem Anders, the beautiful, mysterious Salem boy who seems to know more about Abby than he first lets on.

A reckoning is coming, and Abby will have to make sense of her history--and her heart--before she can face the powerful truth."



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Yellow Crocus


Summary:  Mattie was never truly mine. That knowledge must have filled me as quickly and surely as the milk from her breasts. Although my family ‘owned’ her, although she occupied the center of my universe, her deepest affections lay elsewhere. So along with the comfort of her came the fear that I would lose her some day. This is our story...

So begins Lisbeth Wainwright’s compelling tale of coming-of-age in antebellum Virginia. Born to white plantation owners but raised by her enslaved black wet nurse, Mattie, Lisbeth’s childhood unfolds on the line between two very different worlds.

Growing up under the tender care of Mattie, Lisbeth adopts her surrogate mother’s deep-seated faith in God, her love of music and black-eyed peas, and the tradition of hunting for yellow crocuses in the early days of spring. In time, Lisbeth realizes she has freedoms and opportunities that Mattie does not have, though she’s confined by the societal expectations placed on women born to privilege. As Lisbeth grows up, she struggles to reconcile her love for her caregiver with her parents’ expectations, a task made all the more difficult as she becomes increasingly aware of the ugly realities of the American slavery system. When Lisbeth bears witness to a shockingly brutal act, the final vestiges of her naiveté crumble around her. Lisbeth realizes she must make a choice, one that will require every ounce of the courage she learned from her beloved Mattie.

This compelling historical novel is a richly evocative tale of love, loss, and redemption set during one of the most sinister chapters of American history."
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Shadows of the Realm 
 Summary:  "This is an epic fantasy adventure book with lots of action, intrigue, creaturas and dragons, for young adult to adult.

Bronwyn and Blayke are two strangers being drawn into the same war. Their world is facing invasion from the Third Realm. While they move unknowingly toward each other, they are watched, hunted, and sabotaged. When the Dragon God interferes, it seems their world, Talia, will succumb to the threat. Can they learn enough of the tricks of the Realms before it’s too late, or will everything they love be destroyed?

The young Realmists’ journey pushes them away from all they’ve known, to walk in the shadows toward Vellonia, city of the dragons, where an even darker shadow awaits."
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So there you have it.  My top 3 to-reads for this next week. 
What do you plan to read next?  

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Hunger Games




The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)  


Scholastic Press 
 
 
 




Saturday, April 20, 2013

Quite Contrary


Quite Contrary by Richard  Roberts 


Curiosity Quills Press