Book Review: Broken Prince (The Broken Ones Book 2) by Jen Wylie

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Broken Prince (The Broken Ones Book 2) by Jen Wylie

A Low Fantasy/Fiction Novel published by Untold Press (01/16/14)

Summary:

“Whatever would happen, would happen. She couldn’t change anything.” (Kindle Location 5765).
“I… Sometimes I can do things I shouldn’t be able to.” (Kindle Locations 5570-5571).

After deciding to take Prince back to his home and holing up in a small town over the winter, Aro, Bo, Cain, Prince, and Kei are back on the road. Stopping in a town to re-supply they are under siege again. Getting separated in the escape from the city, Aro finds a new friend to add to her family, but time is running out for Prince and Aro will stop at nothing to save him. She will go so far as to anger the King of the Were and upset the Elves. Aro’s one goal is to get Prince back to Rivenward and the healing safety of his own realm. Or will she be blinded by her own feelings for Prince?

Keywords:

Fighting, War, Tension, Female Protagonist, Tragedy, Romance, Love, Friendship, Loyalty, Family, Travel, Escape, Protection, Lies, Danger, Death, Grief, Training, Travel

My Review:

The opening of this second book in the series parallels that of book one, but the stakes are much higher. There are more characters in Aro’s family and though her brothers were family to her in book one, the reader understands how important all the characters are in the start of Broken Prince. There is more for Aro to lose, more to break her down.

The pacing of book two was not as enticing as the pacing in book one. Book two was more focused on Aro’s pack traveling toward the Elven realm and the confusion that Aro, Prince, and Kei’s emotions caused during that journey. The pacing became somewhat stagnant and not as varied as the first book though the story and the ticking time bomb with Prince held my attention. The question of Aro’s happiness and Prince making up his mind kept the reader focused and kept up the tension throughout this second book.

The overall plot grew within this book, building up the tension with the “prophecy” and Damon had more of a role (interfering Dragos!). The author played with prophecy, fate and free will as well as control versus helplessness. Aro was much more in control and much more helpless to things outside her control than ever before! Aro has grown as a character even more in this book, rising to ever increasing challenges. She was also fighting more against her own anger than despair at helplessness. But the recurrence of the environment and outside forces against Aro became rather repetitive.

This novel was published by Untold Press January 16th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.00

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Jen Wylie’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: Broken Aro (The Broken Ones Book 1) by Jen Wylie

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Broken Aro (The Broken Ones Book 1) by Jen Wylie

A Low Fantasy/Fiction Novel published by Untold Press (09/14/12)

Summary:

“Aro, you must understand things always have a price.” (Page 106).

Aro grew up with many brothers in a town where even she was trained to fight. She will have to grow up fast when their city is attacked and fighting won’t be enough. After getting taken by slavers, survival takes on an entirely different meaning. The only way out is to escape and the only way to escape is to make friends with the strangers chained in the ship with her.

 

Keywords:

Fighting, War, Tension, Female Protagonist, Tragedy, Romance, Love, Friendship, Loyalty, Family, Travel, Escape, Ship, Slavers, Protection, Lies, Danger, Sickness, Death, Grief

My Review:

After the immediate tension and action of the beginning of the book, the pacing settled into a natural rhythm. There was intrigue. There was heartbreak. There was a girl who wanted to prove herself but when push came to shove it wasn’t enough. She couldn’t keep those she loved from disaster.

I wanted to dislike this book. Aro was so capable (in her own head) but so helpless when it mattered in the first few pages. She was a damsel in distress. She became instantly devoted to her love triangle. She cried. A lot.

It was the story and the tension that pulled me along. Aro had so much room to grow in this book. And she does. She grows throughout this book, in good ways and sad ways. Tragedy has a way of doing that to people. Aro was brave. Aro was amazing. Aro was not the damsel in distress she seemed at first.

The love triangle was not what it seemed at first either. The only part that still has me baffled is how much Aro gravitated toward Kei and how fast this devotion took hold of her. I was glad that the romance/love triangle did not dominate this book. There was a good balance of romance, personal reflection and growth, action, and story/plot.

This is a great book for people who want to dip their toes into fantasy, who want a well told story, or who want a female heroine who they can relate to (even in a fantastical setting, and who want the essence of a love triangle without being overwhelmed with a teen romance.

This novel was published by Untold Press September 14th, 2012 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Jen Wylie’s Website

Twitter

Book Reviews: Submit your Indie Book for Review

by in Author Thursdays, Author Tuesdays, Local Authors, Rachel Barnard | 2 Comments

Dear Readers and Writers,

I love to read. I love to write. I love to tell the world my opinions. My current tbr (to-be-read) list is shrinking rapidly and I need new books! My preferences tend to lie in local authors of Indie books in the genres of YA/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Action and Adventure. Have you written a book and are looking for reviews? Do you know of a really good Indie book that I should read and review? I want to support authors. I post reviews on my blog here, on Goodreads and Amazon every Tuesday and Thursday. I will purchase the book if it is under $4 (eBook). There is no guarantee that I will review any book submitted. For my full review policy, visit my reviews page here.

Young Adult Fiction is my preference, specifically middle-grade novels, YA with a female protagonist, or a story with an interesting magical world.

 

Book Review: Emerge: the Awakening by Melissa A. Craven

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Emerge: the Awakening by Melissa A. Craven

A Paranormal Novel published by Midnight Hour Studio (03/31/2015)

 

Summary:

“Immortality doesn’t come cheap.” (Page 149).

Allie is different. Her family is different. She won’t know how unique she really is until she finds that even amongst the other immortals she is in a class all her own. After moving again and again as a child with her adopted family, they finally move back to their home town and Allie, who had never fit in before, immediately is welcomed by a group of teenagers who are not as normal as they let on.

 

Keywords:

Paranormal, Power, Immortals, Mortals, Connection, Loyalty, Friendship, Ignorance, Pain, Fighting, Violence, Torture, Coalition, Control, Love

 

My Review:

It wasn’t the paranormal part of this book that bothered me so much. It was the inability of the writing to let me know who was talking and the jumpiness of all the scenes. This book made me work to figure out who was talking and what was going on when what was really happening wasn’t complicated at all!

There was something missing from the sentences, from the characters, and from the story. The end felt rushed and forced to come to a climax while grinding to a halt to keep the storyline open to a sequel.

The addition of myth/backstory/memory was unnecessary and I skipped over it. Either the book is historical fiction or it’s not and this book was not, so no need for this type of in-depth addition.

I didn’t feel like I knew any of the characters other than Allie, Aiden and towards the end, Liam. There were too many people to keep track of and I started to get a serious Twilight vibe with the way the family kept together and was set against a Coalition.

What was the point of Vince? He added absolutely nothing to the story and he had basically no personality and the reader knew nothing about him. He was basically soothing arm-candy for Allie and annoyingly bereft of usefulness. I wish Aiden was the main character and not Allie. She was annoying and flawed. She didn’t step up her game when it mattered the most, which would have been great for her backstory but not for her (lack of) moment of triumph during the climax.

This novel was published by Midnight Hour Studio 03/31/2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 2.50

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Melissa A. Craven’s Website

Twitter

Book Review: A Clueless Woman (A Woman Lost Book 0) by T.B. Markinson

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A Clueless Woman (A Woman Lost Book 0) by T.B. Markinson

A Romantic Fiction Novel published by T. B. Markinson (11/24/15)

Summary:

“No wonder I was single. I lacked charm, conversational skills, and panache.” (Kindle Locations 917-918).

Lizzie hasn’t had any for over a year, when she broke up with her crazy ex. Nowadays she knows books are a safer bet, especially since she still hasn’t gotten over the ex and the ex still comes around for handouts, or to blackmail Lizzie into handing out her inheritance hundred by hundred. Lizzie has been too embarrassed to tell anyone, even her closest friends. At least now she knows what to look for in a bad relationship, right? When her graduate professor introduces her to Sarah, Lizzie’s normally tongue-tied left-feet become even more hopelessly entangled as she falls head over heels for the gutsy heart-on-her-sleeve high school English teacher. Can Lizzie keep the bad news ex away from her budding new relationship or will the ex ruin another relationship and Lizzie’s next chance for love?

 

Keywords:

 Romance, Relationships, Friendships, Lesbians, Tension, Holding in Feelings, Coffee, Chai, Teacher, English Teacher, Professor, Student, Ex-relationships, Books, Research

 

My Review:

I wish I had the opportunity to read this book closer to the time I’d read the first book in the series, as I’d forgotten most everything about Lizzie and her world, but I found that I didn’t need to read A Woman Lost Book 1 first to completely enjoy A Clueless Woman.

As with her other books, T.B. Markinson builds her characters with an expertise and ease that is fun to read. Lizzie is completely developed. Sarah has her own quirks and personality. Even the ex has been thoroughly described.

There were more romantic/sexy scenes in A Clueless Woman than I remembered being in a Woman Lost. I thought there was a good balance between the romance, the build up and the rest of Lizzie’s story.

This novel was published by T. B. Markinson November 24th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

Goodreads

T.B. Markinson’s website

Writer’s in Paradise – Eckerd College – Last Days

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I have so many thoughts regarding the Writer’s in Paradise Writing Conference at Eckerd College that just ended this Saturday. I have so many emotions.

Let me start with some facts:

  1. Approximate amount of money spent on the conference fee, transportation, lodging, food, gas, miss = $1600
  2. Total number of author signatures obtained: 3 (from Laura Williams McCaffrey, Ann Hood, and Dennis Lehane)
  3. Size of my workshops: 12 of us students in the YA workshop with our leader Laura Williams McCaffrey

Some thoughts:

  1. My favorite moments were the “Best of” Brunch and the Dennis Lehane craft talk
  2. I loved everyone I met and am so grateful to have been accepted into the YA workshop and to work with such brilliant writers and readers
  3. LWM was brilliant and beautiful and such a great leader of our group
  4. Though some of the details were not as well done, overall the conference was a wildly successful conference
  5. The opening to Donuts in an Empty Field was read during Writer Idol (second day) and although I submitted a rather short ‘page’ it made it all the way through. Who doesn’t like donuts?
  6. Though I didn’t get instructions to sign up for the student reading, I made it onto the waiting list and everybody was able to read through the excellent stepping up leadership of Allison from our YA group.
  7. All the readings were worth going to
  8. The YA workshop was excellent
  9. I have plans to edit and finish and send off my manuscript from this workshop

Thank you fellow writers and readers. Perhaps I will see some of you next year because I already know I’d like to go back.

Book Review: Fantasy of Fire (The Tainted Accords Book 3) by Kelly St. Clare

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Fantasy of Fire (The Tainted Accords Book 3) by Kelly St. Clare

A Fantasy Novel published by Kelly St Clare (01/14/16)

Summary:

“One of the best qualities you possess is a desire to be your strongest self.” (Kindle location 1855).

“Bad times sometimes call for dramatic change.” (Kindle location 2544).

Olina is still in the thick of it, with her Frost personality, her Olina self, and the person she presented to the Ire. She’s pulled in multiple directions, but remains true in wanting to help those around her. Can she be a ruler with mixed blood and will the people accept her are questions she must answer. Her mother has sent an army to Glacium and to prevent a slaughter Olina must help the Bruma, Solati enemy. But this isn’t the only issue, there is unrest between the outer and inner rings on Glacium and Olina must get to the bottom of it before civil war threatens to tear Glacium from the inside out before the Solati army even cross the Great Staircase.

 

Keywords:

Fighting, adventure, action, fantasy, sexual themes, friendship, fantasy, love, loyalty, brother, fear, rulers, power, intimidation, female main character, kick butt female, strategy, traitor, war, advisor

 

My Review:

I would never recommend reading books out of order in a series but St. Clare does a phenomenal job of expertly summarizing everything important that happened in the first two books so that we could get right into the thick of Olina’s/Frost’s story in this third book. She doesn’t leave me confused and forgetful of all the political and romantic actions that happened in previous books in this series.

I continue to fall in love with Olina and her strength. She really shows her mettle in this third book and everything she does is well thought out in regards to those around her. Olina continues to be kick butt and tough. She can hold her own, even with problems that are global and messy. She is presented with complex and politically difficult problems where the best solutions won’t please all. She is presented with her past and the possibility of a future. She really becomes a true leader in this book. She has some great lines and a wonderful speech in the middle during the big reveal scene that was so engaging. She also helpfully summarizes the previous action from books one and two during this speech, cementing in the reader’s mind what was going on from her perspective and how it affects those close to her. Olina really becomes a truly great character in this book.

The pacing and action of this book was excellent. There was much more balance between action and contemplation and between dialogue and narration that book two did not have. Book three really shows the finesse that St. Clare has developed through the Tainted Accords series and I can’t wait for book four.

This novel was published by Kelly St Clare on January 14th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

Kelly St. Clare’s Website

Facebook

Goodreads