Haven 6 Blog Tour Stop! Guest Post

HAVEN 6 by Aubrie Dionne

Blog Tour!

September 11th - October 11th

Aubrie Dionne is an author and flutist in New England. Her writings have appeared in Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, Emerald Tales, Hazard Cat, Moon Drenched Fables, A Fly in Amber, and Aurora Wolf. Her books are published by Entangled Publishing, Lyrical Press, and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. She recently signed her YA sci fi novel with Inkspell Publishing titled: Colonization: Paradise Reclaimed, which will release in November 2012. When she's not writing, Aubrie teaches flute and plays in orchestras. She's a big Star Trek TNG fan, as well as Star Wars and Serenity.

Twitter / Website / Blog / Goodreads

~ Guest Post : Why is the Commander a brain in a box? ~ 

When I first started this series, I wanted to experiment with the cohesion of man and machine, and what percentage is still human if you merge the two.
Paradise 21 has a character that’s connected to the mainframe of the colony ship by tubes and wires. He still had arms and legs, and can move about in a hover chair. He can see, speak, think for himself, yet he also has a cool, calm demeanor that is almost computer-like.
Tundra 37 goes a little farther. There are twin sisters that have been attached to the mainframe for hundreds of years. Doctors have taken painstaking effort to keep them alive, since they are the sole drivers of the ship. They've lost most of their body functions: eyes, legs, and arms, so they are more joined with the computer. Does logic rule their actions even more than the character in the first book? Maybe. You’ll have to read to find out!
Haven 6 goes even further. The captain of the ship is so old, she’s lost her entire body, and her brain is preserved in a pink liquid on the main control deck. She has complete control over the ship, and becomes very controlling when her people leave. Is she controlled by logic? Not always. She’s driven by her mission objectives, even if they conflict with morality.

To see this gradual transformation in my characters and their relationship with the machines that keep them alive, you’ll have to read the entire series! Happy reading. Hope you enjoy!

~ HAVEN 6: A New Dawn #3 Synopsis ~

A product of an illegal pairing, Eridani is the only woman without a lifemate aboard the colonization ship, the Heritage, and she is determined her less than perfect DNA will not get in the way of finding love. As the ship nears it's final destination of Haven 6 after five hundred years of travel, images of the surface show evidence of intelligent life on a planet that's supposed to be uninhabited. Commander Grier assigns Eri to the exploratory team to spy on the alien society and return with information on how to defeat them. When Eri's team lands, tribes of humans attack and Eri is saved by Striver, the descendant of a colonist and a pirate from Old Earth's colonization efforts in other parts of the galaxy. Striver helps Eri rescue her team and they are drawn to each other despite their different allegiances. 

Aubrie Dionne is an amazing author of science fiction! I recently got into the, A New Dawn series, and am loving it so far! Look for my upcoming review of Haven 6. Also, be sure to look for her new novel Colonization, coming November 7th from InkSpell Publishing! 

CURSED Release Day Blitz!

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY!!

Today is the release of 

Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 To celebrate this AMAZING book Spencer Hill Press is hosting a release day blitz! If you have a review of Cursed or just want to post about how awesome it is, be sure to leave a link to your post so we can all check it out :D

Dying sucks-- and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. 

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he's a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she's more than interested. There's just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she's willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not have been an accident at all, she's not sure who to trust. 

Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time. . .

~ MY FAVORITE CURSED MOMENTS ~

'"Olivia, what's all over your face?"
She turned away quickly. "Nothing."
"Whatever. There's white powder all over your lips and--oh, my God!" I glanced around quickly, thankful no one was around us. "Did you eat the doughnuts again? They're not free, Olivia!"'

" It was the simplest touches that got to me the most. Just being able to be this close to him felt a thousand times better than anything I could ever imagine--like lightning shooting through my veins each time he whispered my name.
Amidst all these wonderful sensations, my heart swelled so big I was sure it would explode from my chest. I knew what it was. I knew what I was feeling.
I was in love with him."

~ MY REVIEW ~ 

(I received an ARC of this book from Spencer Hill Press, where I currently work as a copy editing intern. My position with the company in no way influences my review of this book)

Jennifer L. Armentrout has done it again ladies and gentlemen! Cursed is another superb work of young adult fiction. The premise is fresh and intriguing. The constant revelations and twists keep you fixed in place. I read this book in one sitting. I think her books tend to have that effect on readers. You don't want to stop until you have to. 
*** That said: I would like to say that I have read more than a couple reviews saying that the premise of Cursed was not original... While I can see where there might be some merit to that (I am familiar with plot lines involving kids with abilities living together), I did not feel that way upon finishing this novel. I became committed to these characters and their story. I'm pretty sure you could nit pick any book and find similarities to other works out there. I'm just not sure why you would do that. I read for the story and the enjoyment I get out of it. Cursed kept me turning pages, and that to me means it is well written and all around exceptional. *** 
I really enjoyed Ember's character. Although, her power is more a curse than a gift, Ember has an unwavering strength to press forward in her search for control and understanding. She is fiery and at times unpredictable which is something I loved about her. You get to watch her battle not only the outside forces that threaten her but also her inner demons as well. Ember must learn to accept herself and acknowledge her gift before she can be granted the control she so desperately seeks. More than a couple things get in her way. Cromwell being the foremost antagonist in her story. Her distrust in him and what he offers for others like her creates many hurdles along the way. I wasn't quite sure what I thought of Cromwell's character. I had many conflicting emotions about him. Although, I absolutely approve of where his character stands by the end of the book. 
Ohhhh, Hayden. Can't forget about him. Another scrumptious muffin JLA has cooked up for our reading pleasure. His patience and confidence in Ember will melt your heart. He is a gentleman even in the most swoon worthy of moments. I am not sure he quite compares to Daemon from the Lux series, but he definitely has a delicious charm about him. 
As always, there is outstanding moments of tension between Hayden and Ember. All that pent up sexual frustration, coupled with the gnawing feeling that Ember might just drown in all the deceit that is piling up, makes for an 'on the edge of your seat' type read. Not to mention, you will be dying for them to quite arguing and get on with the romance ^^ I have to say, they make a well paired couple! 
I think JLA is a top notch writer! She knows exactly what to deliver to her readers which makes her books irresistible! Her fans are bound to love this book as will just about any lover of YA. I know I did. 
Cursed has everything you want from a book in this genre. I am so hoping this will turn into a series! The ending leaves it wide open for another installment and there are more than a few unanswered questions. Keep it coming JLA! 

Desert Moon Cover Reveal

~ Under the Desert Moon ~

By Emma Meade

(This cover reveal is presented by Young Adult Novel Reader )

~ Book Blub ~

17 year old Erin Harris spends her time daydreaming, hoping to escape her small town life in Copperfield, Arizona. When a movie crew arrives unexpectedly to shoot a vampire film over the summer, Erin’s small town world changes forever.

Erin is positive she has seen the star, James Linkin before in a thirty year old TV show. He hasn’t aged a day. How is this possible?

Erin is determined to find out, but how will James handle the scrutiny of an all too intelligent teenage girl?

~ About the Author ~

Emma Meade lives in rainy Ireland. She has a BA in English and History from University College Cork and an MA in Literature and Publishing from NUI Galway.When she’s not reading or writing, she can be found at the cinema checking out the latest movie releases or sipping rosé or drinking Barry’s tea in her backyard with family and friends. Books, DVDS & TV show boxsets take up lots of space in her home, and she collects all the Point Horror books she can get her hands on. Writing supernatural stories and watching marathon reruns of Buffy are some of her favorite ways of escaping reality.

Get in touch with Emma!

Author Website / Blog / Goodreads / Facebook / Amazon  / Twitter

Don't forget to add Under the Desert Moon to your TBR list! 

Out NOW from Soul Fire Press!

There Comes a Prophet Review

There Comes A Prophet by David Litwack

“If there comes among you a prophet saying ‘Let us return to the darkness,’ you shall stone him, because he has sought to thrust you away from the light.”

Who among us will cast aside a comfortable existence and risk death to follow a dream?
A world kept peaceful for a thousand years by the magic of the ruling vicars. But a threat lurks from a violent past. Wizards from the darkness have hidden their sorcery in a place called the keep and left a trail of clues that have never been solved.
Nathaniel has grown up longing for more but unwilling to challenge the vicars. Until his friend Thomas is taken for a teaching, the mysterious coming-of-age ritual. Thomas returns but with his dreams ripped away. When Orah is taken next, Nathaniel tries to rescue her and ends up in the prisons of Temple City. There he meets the first keeper of the ancient clues. But when he seeks the keep, what he finds is not magic at all.
If he reveals the truth, the words of the book of light might come to pass...

~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~

The urge to write first struck when working on a newsletter at a youth encampment in the woods of northern Maine. It may have been the night when lightning flashed at sunset followed by northern lights rippling after dark. Or maybe it was the newsletter's editor, a girl with eyes the color of the ocean. But he was inspired to write about the blurry line between reality and the fantastic.

Using two fingers and lots of white-out, he religiously typed five pages a day throughout college and well into his twenties. Then life intervened. He paused to raise two sons and pursue a career, in the process becoming a well-known entrepreneur in the software industry, founding several successful companies. When he found time again to daydream, the urge to write returned. There Comes a Prophet is his first novel in this new stage of life.

David and his wife split their time between Cape Cod, Florida and anywhere else that catches their fancy. He no longer limits himself to five pages a day and is thankful every keystroke for the invention of the word processor.

~ MY REVIEW ~

There Comes A Prophet is a superbly written tale of science fiction. This story is set in a dystopian society where the age of discovery has been ruled as a deafening darkness. The people have come to believe that the Vicar's who rule and teach them have the final say. Although some express their discontent in minor ways, most choose to exist under their rule and except their way without question. I was enthralled and intrigued by the authors creation of this society. Instead of the usual destruction of a society which leads to a struggling rebirth, There Comes A Prophet deviated slightly from this norm. This society started out in an age  of invention and knowledge and became stripped down into a state of controlled calm. Although, the Temple of Light is strict in their teachings they do not make their people suffer. This story is about the journey to restore knowledge to the society. David Litwack has an enjoyable and captivating writing style. His characters are wonderfully developed and endearing. Orah, Nathaniel and Thomas are all strong in their own way. They believe in their task as Seekers and for the betterment of their world. This story is full of emotion and plenty of mystery. You will love following these characters on their journey and excite in their discoveries. I highly recommend reading this novel! Especially if you are a fan of science fiction. I look forward to reading more from this author! 

You can find out more about the author and his work on:

Goodreads / Facebook / Website