Book Review: The Solitaire Prince by Tyan Wyss

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The Solitaire Prince by Tyan Wyss

A Fantasy Novel published by Tyan Wyss-Lockner (12/15/13)

Summary:

 King Henry cannot see further than the length of his own nose. “All his life he’d been the one in control, barking out flippant orders and fickle whims to his subordinates. It would be a nightmare indeed to lose his power and control to another man; to a mere woman, inconceivable and humiliating.” (Page 46).

What the king fails to realize is how clever his own daughter is because he never wanted a princess, he wanted a son. She must grow up in the shadow of his rules. No chess! She might beat him. No climbing trees! It’s not ladylike. Only solitaire is allowed, and with that game she might be able to bend the rules to get what she wants, but according to the king, one can’t cheat at solitaire.

Keywords:

Fantasy, Princesses, Solitaire, Finding a Groom

My Review:

 Tyan Wyss shows us that she is very skilled at her back story without being boring or overly descriptive. The back story is told in the perfect rhythm and with the perfect progression of time to arrive at the heart of the struggle.

Wyss gives us an entire world within King Henry’s castle and is able to place the reader into the Princesses’ predicaments (yes there is another Princess). I loved the specific food descriptions, they really put me into the world of King Henry and Princess Christine.

It is a special story indeed that can deliver a full and complete novel without a true evil villain or one that is able to redeem himself by the end. With so many villains, once evil always evil pervades, but Wyss is able to construct a character that is conflicted enough, through a story that is different enough, that the ‘villain’ is able to transform.

This story is a true young adult novel for all ages, as it’s written in a clever style. Wyss delivers a clever twist on the last line, summing up the slight bending of a Princess fairy tale in this delightful novel. “Their voices faded softly away as everyone tried their best to live happily ever after.” (Page 158). The voice of the writing style is more than just warm and intimate to the story, but is also a great translator of the truth of the characters’ struggles.

This novel was published by Tyan Wyss December 15th, 2013 and is available on Amazon here.

TLDR Star Rating:4.75

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Tyan Wyss’s Website

Miscellaneous Mondays: My Favorite Indie Authors 3/5 – Tyan Wyss

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I found out about Tyan Wyss on Facebook and have not met her in person. She writes under two names, Tyan Wyss and Loren Lockner. She has written a number of books under each name, but I will focus on the Tyan Wyss books as those are the ones I have read and love and I can vouch for them.

Tyan Wyss is on my list of Indie stars to watch out for because her writing style is concise and fully formed. She doesn’t fall into common mistakes like rookie authors. She knows what she’s doing and her books are immensely fun to read. The stories are fully fledged and immerse you in their intrigue. The author layers her plot and her motives like an expert, giving her books a higher degree of elegance than other authors. Wyss has a smooth and charming personable writing style.

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Check back next Monday for the week’s Indie Author Rising Star 4/5

Book Reading and Release Such Fun!

by in Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams, Free Valley Publishing, Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard, Seattle Specific Saturdays | 1 Comment

 

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All eight of the authors featured in Free-Flowing Stories came out to the Black Dog in Snoqualmie on Thursday to read from their selections, eat cake, and have fun! The Black Dog is wonderful and has the best fritata around.

 

 

 

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I read from my story, Ataxia and the Girl of Lost Dreams which is a prequel to Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams and follows MC’s decision to leave her home town and sneak into the elite Academy where she hopes to take down the corrupt government from within.

 

 

 

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I love to dress up! This is my latest mashup costume.

Book Review: Wildest Dreams by Stefany Rattles

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Wildest Dreams by Stefany Rattles

A Romance Novel published by Stefany Rattles (09/28/14)

 

Summary:

Alaina never went to college. She’s of average intelligence, but she’s given a chance at a career when she’s accepted at a law firm in Arkansas. She is a short brunette with hazel eyes and a penchant for engaged men. Alaina is excited to start her new job, but soon gets caught up in the man she crushed on in high school, a case involving a young Russian girl in the Witness Protection Program, and threats telling her to stay away from Rayden (the engaged man).

 

Keywords:

 Romance, Cheating Fiance, Female POV, Jealousy

 

My Review:

The first thing any reader will notice about Wildest Dreams is the well-crafted book cover that indicates the book is solidly a romance (between a man and a woman) and that the eBook has not been formatted. The author, it would seem, has forgotten to justify her paragraphs to indent for dialogue and new paragraphs. This makes for a book that is physically difficult to read, unless she was continuing in the book’s stream of consciousness writing style. Clever or forgetful, who knows?

What can only be deemed an oversight is the abundance of obvious grammatical errors, where the incorrect word is used or spelled wrong, commas are skipped over, and possessives are given oddly spaced apostrophes. The tenses used also skip from present to past without missing a beat (still could be from stream of consciousness). Many of the sentences are short and choppy and a lot of the action is told to us by the author/narrator Alaina.

I adore the character names used, Alaina and Rayden being my favorites, but I couldn’t get into the romance of the story. To me, it was unbelievable, unrealistic and became dull and lifeless. Why does Alaina even appeal to these career-men? We are not told much about her outside of her fascination for Rayden and her involvement in the present action with her job and the Russian girl.

It is difficult to pull off a romance between an engaged man and another woman without making the characters unlikeable and Rattles was not able to balance this morally-gray area to my satisfaction as a reader. Rayden is ready to leave it all behind for Alaina, his job and his fiancé and his parents’ approval, but why? It also makes him less appealing as the lead man and less appealing professionally. He lost my sympathy when he actively pursued another woman when he was in a committed relationship (no matter what the terms). I was also very perturbed when he took advantage of Alaina when she was drunk and neither the characters nor the author seem fazed by this act of rape.

I was impressed when Rattles was able to dish out an epilogue that was able to wrap up the main story without giving away the entire happily ever after. I was also delighted with each new character’s introduction and Rattles’ instant description of what they looked like and a quick personality description.

I received a free copy of this book for an honest, non-reciprocal review.

This novel was published by Stefany Rattles September 28, 20104 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating: 2.50

 

Links for more information:

Stefany Rattles’ Website

Goodreads Profile

Book Review: Deny the Moon (Wolfblooded Book 1) by Melissa A Graham

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Deny the Moon (Wolfblooded Book 1) by Melissa A Graham

A Paranormal Drama Novel published by Melissa A. Graham (11/28/14)

 

Summary:

 Harley “Harls” Rayne is just an average girl in an average town in an average family, except for the fact that her parents favor her younger daughter Lorelei. This favoritism spurs Harley to run off with the bad boy biker to become his bike b***h (aka the person who rides behind him on his Harley). But Frank isn’t all that she thought he was and his violent behavior and a culminating incident becomes the final straw for her to steal his bike and run away again. She thinks she’s safe with her new life and new job and new friends, until it all comes crashing down around her once more.

 

Keywords:

 Bikers, gang, packs, werewolves, female protagonist, strippers, abusive relationships

 

My Review:

I went through a sequence of liking and disliking this book. At first I loved it, there was tension from the very first page and the characters were very real. The story was alive from paragraph one and the inciting incident went off without a hitch. Harley turned her life upside down. Then I started to get bogged down in grammatical errors and the gruesome violence that the author described. I was not prepared for the horrific violence, but kudos to the author for bringing out such a strong emotional reaction in me, it is a telltale sign of a good writer, just not what I was expecting in a paranormal young adult story. I was further disgusted by the behavior of Frank and the relationship between Harley and Frank. It was an abusive relationship described in a way to make my toes curl and my hair stand on end, but was interlaced with these extremely steamy descriptions. Graham was putting me through emotional loops, with ups and downs and extremes in between. Be warned fair readers of the violence, abuse, and foul language in this book. Graham depicts the not-so-nice aspects of relationships and the gruesome results of foul play, but she does it in a hypnotizing way that makes you turn the pages with shaking fingers.

I despised Frank so much he made my stomach curdle. He is cold-blooded and cold-shoulders and the definition of the opposite of a gentleman. But he has a soft spot for Harley and it’s hard to hate him too much because he has that undeniably redeeming quality of wanting to protect her (from everybody but himself at least). He is domineering and possessive with a pack-like animalistic quality. He is raw and as Harley sees him: extremely and ruggedly attractive.

Harley is also a hard character to like. She put herself into the bad situation. Don’t girls know that the bad boys are usually bad news? Her most redeeming moments are when she is being protective of her best friend Liz. Harley surprised me with her gumption and ability to leave the situation when it crossed the line. When at first I didn’t like her because she couldn’t take action and kept staying in the abusive relationship, she showed her true strength when she up and left and started over with a confidence not many women would have after her experiences.

This book pushes the boundaries of paranormal with its down to earth grittiness and would appeal to those who enjoy a gritty paranormal story with violence, werewolves, or a female protagonist.

This novel was published by Melissa A. Graham November 28th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.25

 

Links for more information:

Melissa A Graham’s Website

Goodreads Profile

Twitter

Miscellaneous Mondays: My Favorite Indie Authors 2/5 – Ksenia Anske

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Here’s the story of how I met Ksenia Anske….

Remember last week when I told you how I met Hugh Howey? The story of how I met Ksenia starts out the same way because… I met her at the Hugh Howey meetup! Part of the reason I love Ksenia so much as an author is because I love her as a person. If you met her in real life you would instantly fall in love with her too. She is dynamic and charming and loud. She gives out hugs and tells you that you can kiss her hand. She is playful and doesn’t take herself too seriously. She has the easy manner you might associate with a movie star and not a writer. She is the writer that writers wish to be and boy can she promote herself! I was charmed when I met her and I’m still charmed today because I follow her on Facebook and her blog. She has a way with talking to her readers and her fans and she’s so entertaining.

Not only is she a great personality and writer in person, but also in her books. Not all of her novels are glitter and roses (one of them has roses) because she has lived a life. She brings so much to the table as a writer through her books and the sometimes hard lessons learned through them. Irkadura and Siren Suicides deal with real issues and when I read them I took away something ddifferent a perspective on suicide and hard times I don’t always get from the normal YA and fantasy that I usually read. Life is not always fun and games, but it can be described beautifully by authors like Ksenia Anske.

Ksenia Anske is on my list of Indie stars to watch out for because she is a wonderful writer with an easy to read and compelling writing style, is so charming, brings up the real issues in her books, and has a great relationship with her readers through both her social media and in person presence.

I’ve read every novel of Ksenia’s and am ready and waiting for her new works, especially the manuscript she’s currently editing/working on: Corners.

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Here’s what Ksenia says and another reason I love her as an author: “I believe that art is not about protecting it from being stolen, it’s about giving it away and inspiring others to create more art. All of my books (and drafts) you can download for FREE on my site indefinitely. You can also buy signed paperbacks or digital/paper copies on sites like Amazon. If you think my writing is worth your money and you want to support me, please buy my books or donate. It’s a pay-what-you-want idea. Any amount spells to me your love. It will enable me to give you more love in return, to write more books for you to read and share. XOXO.”

I’m so glad Ksenia is local and I’m able to see her now and then at events like her book reading and the Gifts for Geeks at the AFK Tavern.

Check back next Monday for the week’s Indie Author Rising Star 3/5

Gifts for Geeks and Rachel Barnard’s FREE ebook downloads TODAY

by in At One's Beast, Local Events, Rachel Barnard, Seattle Specific Saturdays and tagged | 3 Comments

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Today only At One’s Beast and Wandering Imagination by Rachel Barnard are free for download on Amazon.

At One’s Beast link to free download: Click here

Wandering Imagination link to free download: Click here

RB - WIN_20141213_143905 RB - WIN_20141213_143852 RB - WIN_20141213_143834 10675519_10153433487869418_5233050565150547004_n                                                                                                  (Photo by Sheri J. Kennedy)

 

At One’s Beast… atonesbeast

Every girl and boy in the village of Frey fears the beast who lives in the forest. Ten years ago, the beast was formed from the town’s rage — and the evil that lurks inside all people in moments of weakness. Every year since, the townspeople have sacrificed one of their own to appease his anger. This year the sacrifice does not go as planned. A young man saves the chosen girl from fate. She is torn between doing her duty and untangling the identity of her savior and captor. The young man grew up with thoughts of revenge on the town that turned their backs on him, but when he is close to the girl, he is reminded of who he used to be. From once upon a time to happily ever after, the people of Frey will have to rally together to rid the town of evil once and for all, but in the process will they destroy everything that is good in their world?

 

Wandering Imagination… WanderingImagination

Book of poetry

Book Review: The Genesis Code: Lambda by Robert E. Parkin

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The Genesis Code: Lambda by Robert E. Parkin

A Sci Fi/Fantasy Novel published by Robert E. Parkin (09/29/14)

 

Summary:

Lambda is the most sophisticated AI program, able to learn and grow, or is she? Zack was the one who found Lambda, the first to imprint on her, but is this more than just coincidence? Zack decides to stand by Lambda, for reasons he at first doesn’t disclose, which leads to his life and that of his pop star sister being in danger. As Zack falls for Lambda, he is more and more reminded of someone from three years ago, someone who changed his life, someone whose past is connected to Zack in more ways than anyone seems to realize.

In the fight for the Network’s continuation and the fight between those with access and those without, Zack and his family are caught in the middle of something greater than all of them, but they all seem to have a hand in it behind the others’ backs. And yet, it all goes back to a cruel abuse of power and the misuse of technology to hold back those who can’t keep up. A Great Divide.

 

Keywords:

Fantasy, Science Fiction, Love Story, AI, Economic Divide

 

My Review:

This novel has a long list of characters and introduces most of them from the beginning to slowly tie them together throughout continual action and excitement and reveal. The author excels at layering his plot and leaving breadcrumbs of backstory leading right up to the climax. It was difficult keeping up with the cast of characters until the latter half of the story. It was also difficult keeping track of allegiances and motivations and keeping them clear between the characters.

The action scenes (which comprise a large portion of the novel) are engaging and exciting and frequented by fantastically large weaponry. For a novel based on Earth, with humans and human-like characters, the weapons technology is a deviation from the norm and keeps the book fresh and different.

I started out liking the powerful AI Lambda, but when she was overcome little by little with human emotions and lost her power and her confidence I started to resent her. She devolved from a feared and beautiful AI to a distressed and distracted woman-like AI. However, Parkin does say that “she is a girl before she is a program.” (Location 5073). But I hoped she would remain like Zack’s initial perception, “A cyber maiden of death, clad in black. All he could think at that moment was just how alluring and terrifying she looked.” (Location 430-431).

Some final thoughts I had upon finishing the novel were as to what the world outside the Limit Zones looked like. What do people eat? How is their Network technology possible?

I was also a bit disappointed in the ending. It appears the novel ends in the middle of the climax and I prefer, even of the first book in a series, for it to be complete and with an end. Even with an overarching unresolved issue the smaller conflicts should be resolved.

On an end note I adore the cover in its vibrancy.

This novel was published by Robert E. Parkin September 29th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

 

TLDR Star Rating:3.25

 

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Facebook

Robert E. Parkin’s Website