Book Review: The Cloud (The Marian Series #3) by Taylor Hohulin

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The Cloud by Taylor Hohulin

A Steampunk/Pirate Sci-Fi Novel published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (10/21/16)

Summary:

“Donovan Johns clearly preferred motivating his people to stick to Plan A by leaving them woefully unprepared for Plan B.” (Kindle Locations 1480-1481).

Ethan’s last hope lies in a three-way soul swap between the water dictator Donovon Johns, Duncan, and Ethan himself. All they have to do is go into the Cloud and get Duncan out of Ethan’s home dimension, use the blood from all three, and get someone to read from a book so powerful it corrupts. Easy, right? The Marian and its crew is committed to helping out Ethan, not just because he’s part of the crew now, but because they can change the face of the post-Bomb water scarce world for good.

Keywords:

Illegal Water Harvesting, Water Scarcity, Criminals, Soul swapping, Steampunk, Ship on Legs, Navigation, Well, Extraction, Water Police, Teenagers, Captain, Mercenaries, Trouble, Pirates, Post-Apocalyptic, Own Agenda, Death, Other World

My Review:

Excellent trilogy. Excellent ending. Excellent book. The Marian Trilogy is the best steampunkian series I’ve ever read. It’s well written and the plot makes sense on both the individual book level and as a series. There’s action, adventure, and tension. There’s depth, complexity and the characters are interesting and multi-faceted.

Every part of this story felt tight and well-edited. I never questioned a single scene or moment or piece of dialogue. I simply read the book (and the series) as a well-written story should be read: at the edge of my seat and without putting it down.

The evil HydroSystems and Donovon Johns were fleshed out and clever enough to give the Marian and its crew a run for its money. The good guys weren’t all good though – they were conflicted and sympathetic. And we finally get to see Duncan ‘in the soul’ with this final book! After so much hype about how great and motivating he is, even after abandoning his crew and a random soul to its own sordid fate, Duncan did live up to all that everyone thought he was. I very much enjoyed this book and the series and look forward to what Hohulin will write next!

I received a free copy of this novel.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. on October 21st, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

Taylor Hohulin’s Website

Twitter

Goodreads

Book Review: Alone In The Darkness by Matthew Buza

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Alone In The Darkness by Matthew Buza

A Suspense/Thriller Novel published by Buza (04/13/16)

Summary:

Steven owes a debt he cannot repay by himself and he only has a few hours to come up with the money. The only solution is to take it, but the person Steven decides to rob becomes entangled in his problems. Now it’s a fight to survive.

Keywords:

Kidnapping, Crime, Suspense, Thriller, Drugs, Violence, Poverty, Debt, Fighting, Brave, Danger, Innocence, Bartender, Robbery

My Review:

This story was short and gritty. It reminded me of Breaking Bad with its in depth details on drug production, but within the low end of society. I was shocked at some of these details – like the druggie house. I felt like I learned a lot about drugs, drug runners, drug houses, etc. The story did get weighed down at times with these details, but they were fairly fascinating.

This short novel kept me in suspense and I had mild anxiety throughout the entire story as I waited to find out how the kidnapping would resolve. Would she make it out? Would she get the help she needed in time or would she figure a way out on her own? There were just enough obstacles to keep the plot realistic and moving forward.

This novel was published by Buza on April 13th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.50

Links for more information:

Matthew Buza’s Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook

Indie Author Day After and Book Haul!!

by in At One's Beast, Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams, For the Love of Donuts, Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged

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Indie Author Day was such fun, though it was the first year that KCLS participated and we still need to spread the word! Myself and 24 other authors camped out in the KCLS service center building and promoted Indies!

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Sunday I went out to Geek Girl Con in Seattle, debuting my new Olive costume (can you guess what it’s from?)

I met an author (Lish McBride) and got my hair done by Vain!

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Here are the books I’ve added to my review queue…

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All About the Donuts: Local Donut Shop Review – Family Donuts – Lynnwood, WA

by in Foodie Fridays, For the Love of Donuts, Local Eats, Rachel Barnard and tagged , ,

Family Donuts

lynnwood, WA

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7600 196th St SW #850, Lynnwood, WA 98036

(425) 712-0903

 

Review criteria:

Most popular donut at the shop: NA
Signature shop donut: NA
Most popular US donut: glazed
2nd most popular US donut: Boston crème
Donut Hole: Glazed $2.00/doz

 

What I tried:

Glazed Twist, Boston Creme, Donut Holes

$4.15 total

 

What to expect:

the glazed donut holes looked exceptionally nice but the glaze/donut tasted mildly chalky lke they weren’t made from fresh oi. The boston crème definitely tastes like there’s something flavoring the oil they cook the donuts in. I’m not a fan.

 

My favorite:

I wasn’t impressed with this donut shop.

Event Alert! Indie Author Day with KCLS at the Issaquah Library Service Center (WA)

by in Author Thursdays, Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , ,

Indie Author Day is October 8th – this Saturday! Come down to the KCLS Service Center and greet 25 local Indie Authors!

10am – 11am – Meet & Greet with Authors – you will be at your table to greet the public

11am – Noon – National Live Streaming Q & A with writers, agents and industry leaders. Panelists include: Moderator Jon Fine, (formerly of Amazon), Robin Cutler, Kiera Parrott, Jim Blanton, L. Penelope.

Link to panelists: http://indieauthorday.com/blog/streaming-at-a-library-near-you/

Noon – 12:30 – Meet & Greet with Authors

12:30 – 1:30pm – Panel Discussion: Amazon Author Opportunities

1:30 – 2pm – Meet & Greet with Authors

2pm – 3pm – Panel Discussion: Using Self-e

Book Review: The Sapphire Legend, Part II by E. L. Tenenbaum

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The Sapphire Legend, Part II by E. L. Tenenbaum

A Fantasy Novel published by Melange Books – Fire and Ice Ya (01/09/16)

Summary:

“If you don’t go now, then you never had a right to sit with them to begin with,” (Kindle Location 1451).

Sapere’s tribe has finally settled into their new semi-stable home in the Wild when Sapere and Venatore find the Great Blue Waters and evidence of their sister tribe. They must warn the other tribe of the danger of the Pliz and maybe, just maybe, they will be offered refuge and a safe place to regrow their tribe. But after all the upheaval and strife they’ve been through, will the tribe follow Sapere once more?

Keywords:

Tradition, Tribes, Death, Fighting, Survival, Wild, Forest, Camp, Powers, Friendships, Family, Hunting, Loss, Training, New Beginnings

My Review:

Such a great read! This is a book that both boys and girls should read and would love to read! Sapere is a role model and the author shows how Sapere thinks in all sorts of trying situations. How does one become a leader? What is it like to have heavy responsibilities? Just read this series!

Sapere was strong and even when she doubted herself, she was able to step up and take her rightful place. The scene where Sapere wasn’t sure she should sit with the men of the new tribe, even though she’s earned it was such an amazing moment. Yes for women everywhere!

This world in the Sapphire Legend may not be perfect, but seeing what characters do when presented with tragedy and the chance to be better people is what kept me reading. This is a book and this is a series that will teach you something and leave you as a better person for having read it. A fantasy for everyone.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was published by Melange Books – Fire and Ice Ya on January 9th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.0

Links for more information:

E.L Tenenbaum’s Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Everett Fall and Home Show After and Book Haul!!

by in At One's Beast, Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams, For the Love of Donuts, Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged

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The Everett Fall and Home Show was huge! It took place at the Xfinity arena in Everett and there were quite a number of vendors, but only a few books and authors. I went with my new group – the Writer’s Coop of the Pacific Northwest. Shout out to the group and especially Matthew Buza (check out his book here) for putting together a fantastically well organized and beautifully professional event. Check out these awesome pictures!

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Picture from Writer’s Coop member.

Here are the books I’ve added to my review queue…

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Foodie Fridays: Red Velvet Cheesecake Churros

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This was such a difficult recipe to follow! I didn’t have some of the baking equipment (piping bags) and it was messy and a pain! They are delicious, but not as magical looking as I had hoped. I also don’t like cinnamon or excess sugar so I didn’t roll them in the sugar/cinnamon mixture and I halved the amount of powered sugar put into the cream cheese for the filling. It would have been easier to use a fat straw, but all I had was a thin one I’d swiped from a fast food place earlier.

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BUZZFEED recipe can be found here

INGREDIENTS

2 cups water
¼ cup granulated sugar
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup red velvet cake mix
2 eggs
Canola oil, for frying
½ cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

PREPARATION

In a pot over medium-high heat, bring water, sugar, and butter to a boil. Add in the flour and the cake mix and stir vigorously until mixture has no streaks. Remove from heat and add the eggs, stirring until the dough becomes a ball. Transfer dough to a piping bag with a size 9 star tip.

Pipe three to four inches strips of the dough on a baking sheet. Freeze for 30 minutes.

Heat the canola oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Fry the red velvet churros for about three to four minutes, then remove and drain on paper towels.

Using a straw, poke a hole through the centers of the churros to hollow out a cavity for the filling.

On a plate, combine the cinnamon and the sugar and mix until it is a uniform color. Roll the hollowed out churros in the cinnamon sugar.

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Transfer filling into a piping bag with a round tip and pipe the filling into the churros.