Book Reviews

Book Review Wednesday: The Other Lamb by Katie Young

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Hey, look! I actually managed to finish a book review in time to post on a Wednesday. Fancy that. Of course, this may have had something to do with it:

The Other Lamb Blog Tour Banner

Yep, I signed up to be part of another blog tour. This time, for a lovely YA paranormal/horror combination with some intriguing twists on old legends. But before I get into that, here’s what you need to know about the book:
 

The Other Lamb

by Katie Young

 
The Other Lamb by Katie Young

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

 

Incarcerated on Earth as punishment for breeding with humans, the Watchers found a way to escape. Zach is living proof of that… even though someone has cut out his heart.

When Zach turns eighteen he develops an insatiable thirst for blood, but he tries to bury his fears and go on enjoying his birthday. His best friend Kim has scored them tickets to the hottest gig in town. But a charged encounter with his idol, the enigmatic rock star known as Grigory, leads to a revelation that shatters everything Zach thinks he knows about himself and the world, and places everyone dear to him in grave danger.

Zach is a Naphil, the forbidden offspring of a mortal woman and a Watcher. When those who seek to destroy him snatch Kim, Zach is forced to embark on a journey of discovery spanning continents and ages. With the help of a mysterious stranger named Sam, Zach must unearth the truth about his parentage, find Kim, and discover who has stolen his heart… before he triggers the apocalypse.

When I first read the blurb for this, two things instantly caught my eye — the fact the MC, Zach, has had his heart cut out, and the obvious allusions to vampires. But the premise is actually quite a bit more fascinating, combining the mythology behind angels and vampires into something altogether new. I will admit that I find the cover design a bit repulsive, but since the story does contain graphic violence and sex, it’s a good representation of what readers should expect. This is most definitely not a story about angels in the traditional sense, but it is intriguingly refreshing.

None of the characters are clearly good or evil, and the four arch-angels (the Watchers) are far from the pristine creatures you’d normally see. Instead, they’re much more reminiscent of The Authority in True Blood, or The Volturi in Stephenie Meyers’s Twilight Saga. The history of their fall from grace was one of the better aspects of the story for me, and it was clear the author had done a lot of research into angel mythology. But I did feel that the fast pace of the story sort of prevented me from ever really connecting to any of the characters. It’s told from a distanced, third person omniscient point-of-view, and I found the shifts between the characters to be jarring. Many of them are short, barely a full page, which created a sort of whip-lash effect as I was thrown from one person’s head to another. The graphics used to separate the scene breaks often overpowered the text itself, and only further emphasized that disconnect.

I would have liked to see the story expanded a bit more, delving deeper into the characters, rather than sitting on the surface. That said, the fast pace will send you through a whirlwind of action, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. So while I was perhaps a little disappointed that it wasn’t a more immersive experience, I do recommend this series and will most definitely be checking out more books by Ms. Young in the future.

**Disclosure Statement: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. **

Book Spotlight: Review of Broken Forest by Eliza Tilton

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PicMonkey Collage

It’s a little late to call this a Book Review Wednesday post, so instead, I’m going to call it a special feature. I was invited to be a part of the blog tour for an intriguing YA fantasy novel, and since I’d been on the lookout for something in just that vein lately, how could I pass it up? (Evidence of said invitation in that lovely banner above. 😉 )

So, without too much preamble, I give you my review for:

Broken Forest by Eliza TiltonMy Rating: 4/5 Stars

Hopeless he’ll never be more than the boy who didn’t save his brother, 17-year-old Avikar accepts his life as the family stable boy, trying to forget the past. But when his sister, Jeslyn, is kidnapped, the thought of losing another sibling catapults him on a desperate quest.

With his best friend by his side, and using the tracking skills he learned from his father, he discovers Jeslyn has been taken, kidnapped by one Lucino, the young lord of Daath, a mystical place thought only to exist in fables.

And Lucino has plans for Jeslyn.

His shapeshifter brethren feed off the auras of humans, and Jeslyn’s golden hue is exactly what Lucino needs to increase his power. The longer it takes Avikar to reach her, the more entranced she becomes with Lucino’s world, and the harder it will be for Avikar to set her free.

He failed his family once. He won’t fail again.

Broken Forest was a fast-paced, highly enjoyable read. Contrary to what the blurb implies, it’s actually told in alternating, first-person POVs from the three main characters — Avikar, Jeslyn, and Lucino. Avikar is presented as the dominant character, though, as his storyline drives the overall plot. Haunted by a past failure that cost his family a son and brother, he’s a flawed hero, but a hero all the same. When his sister is captured by the lord of a supposedly mythical land, Avikar takes it upon himself to rescue her. Together with his friend Derrick, Avikar travels to the long-lost Daath, facing great evil in order to save Jeslyn from it’s shape-shifting, slightly psychopathic overlord.

The writing is eloquent and the characters fairly well developed, but I think what I enjoyed most was the world. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of Maggie Steifvater’s Books of Faerie series. Not necessarily because of the content, but because of the overall feel and lyrical prose. It’s listed as a fantasy, but it should be noted there is a slight Science Fiction aspect to the creatures that was both surprising and unique. I was honestly expecting the Fey, but Tilton took the story in a direction that was much more original.

My only complaint, and the reason this has earned 4 instead of 5 stars, is that Avikar and Jeslyn sounded very similar. Lucino was fascinating and Tilton captured his indifferent, cold assessment of the world perfectly. But the siblings were fairly indistinguishable, making it hard to remember whose POV I was reading without the aid of the chapter headers. I would have preferred a little more differentiation in the voices, but otherwise, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a new voice in YA fantasy, and I will most definitely be looking to pick up the rest of the series. 🙂

About the Author:

Eliza Tilton

 Eliza graduated from Dowling College with a BS in Visual Communications. When she’s not arguing with excel at her day job, or playing Dragon Age 2, again, she’s writing. Her stories hold a bit of the fantastical and there’s always a romance. She resides on Long Island with her husband, two kids and one very snuggly pit bull.

 

AUTHOR LINKS:

Twitter / Tumblr / Website / Pinterest / Facebook / Instagram

BUY LINKS:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / KOBO


**Disclosure Statement: I received a copy from the blog tour company in exchange for an honest review. **

From the Editor’s Desk: Forever Kinda Love by Clara Stone

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I know, I know. Another book review? This one’s a little different though, as it features one I actually had a part in bringing about. Remember that series of posts? No? Well, here’s your refresher then:

As an editor, (both freelance and under REUTS Publications), I have the wonderful opportunity to see amazing novels during their developmental phase. And I wanted to find a way to share them with all of you as they became available. (I also wanted to find a way to help support the authors that trusted me with their manuscripts.) So think of these posts as my own personal book recommendations, straight from the editor’s desk.

Today’s edition brings you the latest release from Clara Stone (aka Priya Kanaparti):

Forever Kinda Love

by Clara Stone

Forever Kinda Love by Clara Stone

Life’s. Little. Surprises.

The last thing seven-year-old Carrigan “Ace” Casper foresaw was an eight-year-old Heath Lovelly walking into her life the day her mother died. From that moment on, Heath sticks by her side, slowly becoming her strength, her confidant, and her entire world. What she doesn’t know is, she’s his saving grace, too.

Ten years later, Ace is handed another crippling challenge that threatens everything in her almost perfect life. Only, this time, she doesn’t turn to Heath, hiding the truth instead. But Heath knows Ace too well and won’t back down easily. He’s ready to do whatever it takes and will stay by her side until she accepts that their love is the kinda love worth fighting for.

Will he be her forever triumph or her unexpected downfall?

Two lives.

One story.

And an unexpected journey to falling in love.

Forever Kinda Love is a special breed of romance. Romance authors (and probably some readers) refer to it as a “best friends to lovers” story. Having married my best friend, I can attest to the fact that this type of love resonates deeply. Who wouldn’t want to end up with someone they can call their best friend? It brings a sweet innocence to the relationship, a bond that’s as solid as steel. And Clara Stone has captured it perfectly.

Carrigan (Ace, as she’s called throughout most of the book) first meets Heath when she’s seven. Huddled in a hospital waiting area, the last thing she expects to find is a friendship that will last. But that’s exactly what happens. Flash forward ten years and Heath and Ace are seniors in high school on the cusp of graduation, and they’re inseparable.  But they’re best friends, and nothing more. Heath has kept his silent promise to watch over the little girl who lost her mom, keeping her carefully shielded from his player status and parade of non-relationships.

When Ace meets the mysterious Vincent, though, Heath starts to realize that his feelings for her go far beyond his promise to protect her. He’s jealous. And he doesn’t like it.

But what he doesn’t know is that Ace feels the same way. She secretly wishes for more with Heath, but can’t fathom the idea that he’d view her that way. It’s not until an unexpected illness threatens to break the two apart that they both discover the courage to speak up.

Told in a split POV, Forever Kinda Love is an emotional roller-coaster, full of “will they/won’t they” moments and heart-wrenching beauty. Stone brilliantly weaves an authentic, teenage voice throughout, and every single moment–from the fast, head-first rush of young love to the battles with insecurities we’ve all felt–rings true. The voyeuristic way readers are allowed to see things the characters haven’t grasped yet creates a dynamic pull that will hook you and keep you reading to the end. We know they belong together, and we know how they both feel, but the back-and-forth dance as the characters discover those truths is simultaneously frustrating and completely honest.

I read this in draft form, and I can honestly say that even in its roughest phase, Ms. Stone was able to bring me to tears several times. This is easily the most powerful romance I’ve read in a long time and I highly recommend it. In fact, it’s even on sale right now, so you really have no excuse for not buying it immediately! (It’ll be $.99 through the end of the weekend.)

And, in case you’ve already read it and are looking for more from Clara Stone, you might want to check out her other book, Dracian Legacy, published earlier this year (some of you may remember it being featured here) and it’s upcoming sequel, Dracian Origins. Both are paranormal romance, rather than contemporary, but Clara/Priya’s signature mix of romance, best friends, and feisty leading ladies is just as present. At the very least, they’ll tide you over until her next “secret project” is announced. 😉

To connect with Priya and learn more about all her writings, be sure to check out her website, her FB page, and of course, her Twitter profile. And remember, Forever Kinda Love is only on sale for $.99 until Sunday, 8/17. Don’t miss out!

**Content Note: This is classed as a YA, but parents should be aware that the content, in my opinion, is appropriate for 17+ years.  It contains heavy swearing and steamy make-out sessions that will leave adults looking for a cold shower.**

Book Spotlight: Review of Salvation by James Wymore

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Continuing with the new series of Book Review features, I bring you the first of my aforementioned foolish decisions regarding blog tours (okay, so that’s facetious. Blog tours are awesome, and I’m honored to be a part of one. 🙂 ) See? I even have proof:

Blog Tour Banner

 

Isn’t that image lovely? Here, I’ll show it to you again in its full glory, followed by my review:

Salvation

by James Wymore

Salvation by James Wymore

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

A man wakes on a frozen battlefield when a scavenging couple finds him among the dead. As they nurse him back to health, he is struck with the horrible realization he can’t remember who he is or anything about his past. Taken in by the kind pair, he begins helping with their farm. She even takes him to meet her family, especially her single sister. The ideal life offered in the high mountains of Winigh is shattered when he sees a transport bringing enemy monsters to the shores below. Cut off by high snow on the pass, their fate will soon be the same as the town his company failed to protect in the last battle, if this estranged soldier cannot help them fight off the next wave of invaders. Even worse, the people of the town don’t trust this Selene soldier. He has a strange resistance to their folk magic which some say make him as dangerous as the enemies preparing to destroy them.

Okay, let me first start by saying that I stumbled on this in a Goodreads ad initially (so if there are any authors reading this, apparently they do work, somewhat 😉 ). The cover art instantly caught my attention, and it had been a while since I’d found a good traditional fantasy, so I was intrigued. Listed as an epic fantasy, Salvation has everything you’d expect from the genre — a hero who is, well, heroic; large-scale battles that embody the definition of “epic”; and even a touch of romance.

The story starts with a soldier, wounded and barely alive, being found by scavengers searching the battlefield for useful materials. The older couple take the man in and nurse him back to health, naming him “Elwood” when it becomes apparent his lost memories will not return. Elwood embraces his new life, settling in to the simpler life of a farmer. Macey, his now adopted mom-type figure, even sets him up with her younger sister and romance blooms.

But peace and serenity aren’t in his future for long. The Hyzoi — an armored race of mermen — are gearing up to attack the small, isolated village Elwood now calls home, and he’s the only one who can help save the people who once saved him. But only if the people of Winigh decide to trust him.

Overall, this is a good story, and it had massive potential to be great. The cultures and world are unique and well-crafted; I especially enjoyed the new take on magic (which I won’t spoil because that would ruin it for you). I thought the action sequences were solid, and the descriptions of the food and gore interestingly detailed. But unfortunately, there were also quite a few things that pulled this one down, ruining my ability to become fully immersed in the story. I hate to say it, but it felt like an unedited manuscript to me.

Some of the worst offenders were:

  • Head-hopping: the story is told in what should be 3rd person limited, with Elwood being the POV character. But routinely, we are shown inside the thoughts/actions of the other characters, within the same paragraph and sometimes even the same sentence as Elwood’s perspective. I tried to give the author the benefit of the doubt and thought perhaps he was trying for 3rd person omniscient, but at the end of the day, it simply didn’t really work in either, living awkwardly somewhere in between.

 

  • The prose is littered with errors: tense problems, grammar issues (commas especially were misplaced and used inconsistently, making me wonder which style guide the editor was using on this…), and typos/incorrect words (ex: “heard” vs. “herd”). Some people may be able to look past these, but I found it distracting. And I read unedited manuscripts for a living.

 

  • Choppy timeline: there isn’t really any sense of flow between the chapters. Often, each chapter or even scene felt like it was written as a stand-alone episode, like a cut-scene in a video game. The transitions were abrupt, and we jump through so much time in the first few chapters that I lost all sense of timeline. This did seem to work itself out, a little, later in the book, but I felt like many places could have been expanded, which would have resulted in a richer experience for the reader. I would almost characterize the plot as reminiscent of film — fast-paced and full of “fade-to-black” transitions.

I don’t like to solely supply the negative facets of my experience though, so before I wrap this up, I want to point out the good. Wymore has massive potential as a writer, and I definitely look forward to more from him in the future. Salvation is a fresh infusion to the genre and featured many intriguing elements. I enjoyed the mystery of Elwood’s real identity, and actually think that’s the aspect that kept me reading most. Like my fellow reviewers, I figured it out well before the characters did (so perhaps the foreshadowing could have been toned down a little to prolong that element), but I still felt that character arc was one of the strongest.

My overall impression is that of a book that maybe could have been absolutely amazing in the hands of a different editor. Wymore definitely has the talent, it just needed to be cultivated and polished a little bit more.

**Disclosure Statement: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. **

 

 

Book Spotlight: Review of “Fred” by Drew Hayes

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Some of you may have noticed that I now feature book reviews here at Nightwolf’s Corner. And for those who haven’t noticed (or who missed the announcement a while back), now you know. Why does this matter, you ask? Because along with that new feature comes a new post series to sprinkle into my ever-growing list of subjects. Periodically, I’ll be doing a book spotlight on select reviews, either because I feel like they are extra deserving of your attention and I don’t expect you to actually explore every page and corner of my site, or because I foolishly signed up to be part of a blog tour and am required to help spread the word about said book as much as possible. Either way, you get to learn about titles you may not have crossed paths with otherwise, so it’s a win-win, right? (And trust me, I only sign up to be part of blog tours for awesome books and you’d want to know about them anyway. 😉 )

This week’s candidate is the first option. So, without further ado, I give you my review of . . .
 

The Utterly Uninteresting & Unadventurous Tales of Fred, The Vampire Accountant

by Drew Hayes

 

Fred by Drew Hayes

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

 

Some people are born boring. Some live boring. Some even die boring. Fred managed to do all three, and when he woke up as a vampire, he did so as a boring one. Timid, socially awkward, and plagued by self-esteem issues, Fred has never been the adventurous sort.

One fateful night – different from the night he died, which was more inconvenient than fateful – Fred reconnects with an old friend at his high school reunion. This rekindled relationship sets off a chain of events thrusting him right into the chaos that is the parahuman world, a world with chipper zombies, truck driver wereponies, maniacal necromancers, ancient dragons, and now one undead accountant trying his best to “survive.” Because even after it’s over, life can still be a downright bloody mess.

 
I’m honestly not sure where to start with this one, except to say that this book is anything but uninteresting. Fred (as it was affectionately nicknamed in the digital hallways of REUTS Publications — and no, I did not work on this one) is, in a word, unique. As much because of its unusual structure as for the protagonist himself. Hayes has once again managed to take stereotypes and turn them on their head — a talent I continually find refreshing.

Frederick Frankford Fletcher was just a normal CPA until the night he was turned into a vampire, when he became exactly the same, just with fangs. Within pages, Hayes presents us with an interesting take on the age-old creatures of the night, playing within the mythology to create something new and yet familiar at the same time. And he continues to do that with a cast of quirky, off-the-wall characters that include such brilliant inventions as  a truck-driver werepony named Bubba. Yes, take a moment to process that. The image you’re picturing is exactly correct.

Through myriad adventures that literally had me laughing out loud at times (and I never do that), Fred discovers what it means to live, coming to terms with his new identity as a vampire, learning to love, and even finding a group of friends more loyal than any he had during life. While the shenanigans are awesomely ridiculous at times, the heart of the story is one I think many twenty-something people can relate to, and those of us past that mark can look back on with nostalgia.

The one thing that may deter some people from fully enjoying the story is the format. Broken into five novelettes and presented as excerpts from Fred’s journal, it doesn’t quite have the flow of a full-fledged, stand-alone novel. It breaks the fourth wall (which I normally have a hard time with), but does so in a way that helps the story connect with the reader, much like Mystery Science Theater 3000 did — with self-deprecating mockery and sarcasm. My advice to potential readers is to view this not as a complete novel, but as an omnibus of vignettes. Each story is complete unto itself, and while the entire thing does flow into a larger narrative arc, there is some overlap between them that can be a tad annoying.

I, for one, feel like Hayes’s signature wit and brilliant imagination overcome the uncommon format though. And I applaud him for trying a literary structure that has, perhaps, fallen out of favor in modern literature. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys shorter fiction, or who’s looking for a fun, entertaining, and heart-warming read.

And to prove it, here are all the links:

Purchase it here: Amazon, REUTS Publications

Connect with Drew: Twitter, Website