Pages

Justine's books

Last Sacrifice
My Soul to Take
My Soul to Save
My Soul to Keep
My Soul to Steal
Wings
Spells
Illusions
Sing Me to Sleep
Girl Stays in the Picture
The Eternal Ones
Beastly
Ash
Huntress
Secret Society
The Trust
Ascendant
Rampant
0.4
Fairy Tale


Justine's favorite books »

Saturday, 15 December 2012

Review #53: Ethan's Story: My Life with Autism- Ethan Rice

Title: Ethan's Story: My Life with Autism
Author: Ethan Rice
Pages: 28
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Review: I received this book free from the author is exchange for an honest review.
This is an awesome book! It was written by Ethan, an eight year old boy who has autism. It explains very simply to others what autism is. For me it was great because I know what autism is but it is hard to explain it to others who aren't sure, and this book helps with that. Also it's nice to see examples from Ethan of his autism and how he copes with it. Plus the illustrations are perfect for the story. Thank you Ethan for sharing! I would love to read more of your work! I really think that this book should be read in schools!

Review #52: Truth and Lies Past and Present- Katherine Rochholz

Title: Truth and Lies Past and Present
Author: Katherine Rochholz
Pages: 151
Series: The Katy Lily Series
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Review: This book pleasantly surprised me. From the blurb, I thought that it was an adult book and that I wouldn't like it, but I was wrong. I quite enjoyed it once it got past the being Harry Potter's twin. For about the first third or more of the book I ought that I was reading Harry Potter but with an orphan girl. For enable, Katy recieved a letter of admissions to a magical school, then some man comes and finds her and takes her shopping for everything she will need for school like books, wands and cloaks. But first they had to go get her money from the bank which was ran by dwarves. Once at the school there are five different houses in which the students reside depending on what element they posses. Katy is a fire element she her outfit is a black skirt with a red blouse and yellow tie, and so on and so forth. Once all of that stuff is out of the way the book gets much better as we follow Katy through her first year of schooling at this magical school.
I really enjoyed Katy as a character. She grows on you right from the very beginning when she is living on the streets alone and orphaned at the young age of nine. Because of this, Katy is a tough little girl who knows how to stand up for herself. My only problem with Katy's character was that sometimes what she said and how she acts is way more mature than a nine year old. But otherwise what an awesome character. I'm excited to read the series and learn more about the other characters.
Again another great read by Katherine Rochholz. I would recommend this book to anyone pretty much as long as they can read. I will most definitely continue this series to see where the author is taking it.

Thursday, 13 December 2012

Review #51: The Brown House- Christy Sloat


Title: The Brown House
Author: Christy Sloat
Pages: 324
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Review: I recieved this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review. 
Actually I won this book, but close enough haha. I LOVED this book, all of it! This novel was the perfect horror, thriller, romance paranormal, young adult book that I have ever read. Now, personally I don't read a lot of ghost books , because unlike vampires and such, I definitely believe that ghosts are real. There was so much built up suspense in this book that I almost couldn't handle it. I wanted to know what was beind that door so bad it was killing me. When we finally find out what is behind the door a whole new can of worms is opened. Plus I love that during all the craziness, the author doesn't let the reader forget that the characters are in high school. They still go about their daily activities. 
The characters are all amazing.our main character is abrylee, the "hot girl" from Cali who had to transfer to New Jersey. She is definitely a brave heroine, hence living in a haunted house and seeing ghosts. Erphraim is the bad boy turned good and Brylee's love interest. Lyn is Brylee's new best friend and also happens to be Erphraim's sister. Her and Brylee mesh well together. There are also a bunch of other great charcters who make the book awesome, but partly because they are all ghosts. 
I think that everyone should read this book! I would recommended it for anyone who likes paranormal, horror, thriller or YA, and its not "that" scary. The ending left me wanting more. There better be more books because I want to find out what is going to happen!!!



Also this month I adopted Christy Sloat in the Facebook event Christmas for authors. We are having a giveaway until the 25 of December. If you purchase one of Christy's books (not Ianni, its a novelette) and tell me the order number you will be entered to win one of her other books. And if you have the book reviewed by the 25 of December you will be entered to win a paperback copy.

Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Review #50: Black Lace- J. V. K.

Title: Black Lace
Author: J. V. K.
Series: Paths of the Spirit
Pages: 290
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Review: I am giving this book 3.5 /5 Stars
*Spoiler Alert*
So I am kind of confused about this book. At first I thought that it was YA, but I learned very quickly that it wasn't. I wouldn't even say it was NA, I would skip these two and head straight for adult. The book was a bit confusing, sometimes I felt like it jumped around a bit, but that might have just been because the book was not originally published in English. So it might just be that translation. Also there were a few times where the wrong name or the sentence was weird, but other wise it was a great read. That author is so good at conveying details and descriptions to the reader. The book really picks up in the end and leaves you on a semi- cliffhanger.
I enjoyed the main characters. Vivian was a kick- ass vampire slayer who had a dark side. Michael was the hot werewolf lover who would do anything for Viv. And Christian, the fiancĂ©, was an evil vamp who turns good in the end. My only character compliant was that there were a lot of random characters who show up briefly then never again. 
Overall, this book was a good read. It will be and amazing read when the few mistakes are edited. I look forward to the second book to see where the story will go. Also I want to find of more of the books secrets!

Monday, 10 December 2012

Cover Reveal: Birth by Janell Rhiannon

Synopsis:

Medieval Spain 1208 AD

When Iseo’s father sends her to the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela—to await a profitable, arranged marriage—Father Tomas discovers her natural talent for stone working and trains her to become the first female Maker of Gargoyles. Guided by heavenly inspiration, she carves the sacred stone, freeing the glorious gargoyle she names Celestino. He exists in a cycle of flesh and blood for forty days, morphing between the body of a man and a winged-lion, and resting for seven days in stone. Iseo knows the beast well, but the man surprises her. Their mutual innocence complicates the natural bond between Maker and gargoyle, as it blossoms with the first blush of love. Sharing only a single kiss, they struggle to resist temptation, even as fate cruelly tears them apart.

Celestino is a mighty adversary against the combined evil of demons and Fallen angels, in the great battle between Heaven and Hell. He possesses the strength to send demons screaming back to Hell, and the consecrated heart to exorcise them from human souls.
When Celestino discovers that what he thought was demonic possession is really decay of the soul, he discovers that hundreds of infant baptisms performed by midwives were tainted. An encounter with a mysterious Archangel reveals that someone is making use of an ancient relic known as the Tear of Lucifer stone. Once the relic is used on a person, their soul is condemned to Hell upon their death, with no hope of salvation.
The Arch promises to help Celestino destroy the stone and punish the person responsible for bringing it to Santiago in the first place.


Iseo & Celestino … let their love possess you.



Biography

Janell Rhiannon has been writing since she was in grade school. In high school, her 9th grade English teacher suggested she consider a career in writing. After a decade in college and a Master's degree in history, she became a part-time college history instructor and eventually settled into teaching high school. 
Writing never stopped. Stories never stopped. Reading fiction never stopped. Now, Janell writes and publishes her works online. The Livingstone Saga: Birth is her second YA novel, and the first book in the planned gargoyle trilogy. History, mythology,  and fairytales are her favorite things to write about. When she’s not writing,Janell loves spending lazy days with her granddaughter, going to the movies, and drinking coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. Her secret obsession is Twitter, once she starts, she can’t tweet just one.

She resides in CA and continues teaching freshmen and writing. 
Find out about Janell Rhiannon and The Livingstone Saga @

Visit: www.livingstonesaga.com
Like on Facebook
Livingstone Saga
Follow on Twitter: @theravenangel
www.janellrhiannon.weebly.com  

The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Jennifer Malone Wright Promo Blitz Day!




Book Title:
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: The Complete Collection
Author Name:
Jennifer Malone Wright
Author Location (for press releases)
Laclede, Idaho
Name of series and book number in series:
Short story series compiled into one novel.
Genre:
YA paranormal
Publisher: Self
Date of Publication:
June 2012
ISBN: 978-0615650081
ASIN: B008ASVXR8
Number of pages: 217 paperback
Word Count: 78,734
Formats available: Paperback and Ebook.

Purchase Links:


This is the FREE part of the series I like to always let everyone know about.
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 1




Blurb/Book Description:
This special edition of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter contains parts I-VI, the complete collection. Fourteen-year-old Chloe witnesses her mother’s murder at the hands of a vampire. Before the vampire can kidnap her, there is an unexpected rescue by a group of vampire hunters.

Overwhelmed by the feeling of safety, Chloe passes out and they whisk her away to their small community. When Chloe wakes, she comes face to face with the only other living relative, besides her mother, whom she has ever met: her grandfather. Chloe’s mother kept her hidden from the family; now, Chloe tries to unveil the family secrets.

Through her grandfather, she learns her mother was a vampire hunter. In fact, her entire family is descended from the powerful bloodlines of vampire hunters. Chloe agrees to join the family she has never known for one reason only: Chloe vows to kill the vampire responsible for her mother’s murder. With vengeance in her soul, Chloe is even more determined to follow through on her vow when she discovers the true identity of her enemy and how he is connected to her.

Experience the world of vampires hunter’s, vampires and mythology with Chloe in this exciting series.

Short Excerpt:

I took the first book off the stack and examined the cover. It was titled Vampires throughout History. The cover was leather and so old it was stiff and cracked in spots. The pages showed signs of age too, yellowing and stiff to the touch. There was no table of contents, so it looked like I was going to have to scan the entire book for what I was wanting. I flipped the pages carefully, so as not to tear any of them.
After an hour of scanning and about half way through the book, I found something referring to vampire children.
~~~
Although extremely rare, the natural-born offspring of vampires exist throughout the world. These rare beings are called the dhampir. Dhampir are usually the product of a vampire and mortal. The most common of these unions is a male vampire impregnating a mortal woman. Vampires, both male and female, are seductive in nature and some mortals came willingly to these unions. However, the majority of dhampir born were produced through an act of rape.
Solitary by nature, it is uncommon for a vampire to settle with any one mate for long. The children of vampires, the dhampir, more often than not exhibit all the characteristics of their vampire parent. The strength, speed and agility are the usual hereditary traits that the children develop. They are not always born with these traits but develop them as they grow into adulthood.
The dhampir are day walkers. Some of these children are sensitive to the sunlight but will not perish in the direct rays. Most have no sensitivity at all. Drinking the fresh blood of mortals is also not usually required of the dhampir; however, some have a liking for it. Very few actually need it to survive.
Most dhampir are rejected by the vampire species because of their mortality and weaknesses. Mortals often reject the dhampir, as well, due to their vampirism, so they frequently remain outcast.
Dhampir are known for becoming vampire killers. Their closeness to the vampires and their vampire characteristics make them powerful vampire hunters. The unique ability to track and kill vampires is specific to only the dhampir and the mythological race of vampire hunters.
Historically, dhampir became vampire hunters as a trade. Towns and villages became plagued by vampires who were terrorizing their homes and killing their people. The dhampir accepted contracts in exchange for monetary payment and used their likeness to their vampire counterparts to exterminate the vampires.
~~~
Holy crap, that was a lot to process. The more I read the passages, the more I understood that my being a hunter was more than my heritage; it was my history and my future. Everything about my bloodlines had hunters involved. 



Author Bio:
Jennifer Malone Wright resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children. Between the craziness of taking care of her children, whose ages range from fourteen all the way down to six months, and being a homemaker, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working on freelance work or her beloved fiction.
When she grew up, Jennifer always had her nose in a book. She has been writing stories and poems since grade school. This love of the written word and her strong interest in the paranormal is what has led to her first novel “The Birth of Jaiden.”
In addition to being a mother and homemaker, Jennifer is also a very proud military wife. Moving around the country for the last ten years has made her a bit of a nomad and she finds it difficult to be in one place for too long.
Jennifer is also the author of The Birth of Jaiden, a paranormal novel filled with action, suspense, and even a love story.



Author web links: (web, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads, etc)

Friday, 7 December 2012

Review #49: North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus- Candace Jane Kringle

Title: North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus
Author: Candace Jane Kringle
Pages: 314
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Review: I received this boo I free from the author in a Red 2 Review for and honest review.
I really liked the idea of reading a Christmas book so close to Christmas, it got my jolly going haha. I think that this is the first Christams book that I have ever read, and I really enjoyed it. The premise was really cute and it drew me in right away. Plus I liked how this story is told as a memoir. Some of the wording was so funny, my favourite quote was " I'm freezing off my jingle bells" lol. There was a romantic element to the book, but I didn't find it overbearing at all, I found it the perfect amount. And to top it off like I said the book was Christmasy and romantic. I think it's a fun read for the whole family. 
I enjoyed reading about all of the crazy characters. Is list includes Santa, Candycane, Rudy all the elves and my personal favourite Queero the gay polar bear with his pink hair and earring in his right ear. The best part was when Santa tried to set him and Candy up haha. I really enjoyed Cany as well. At first she seemed like your typical mean girl, but once she realized that just because Rudy was a loser because he didn't like Christmas , didn't mean that he wasn't fun to be around and that their friendship wouldn't eventually turn into a relationship. I also enjoyed learning about Rudy and why he hated Christmas. I grew to like him after he wasn't such a jerk. Plus the conversations between these two were so funny!my favourite insult is also "poohead" haha.
This book was one of the funniest, cutest reads that I have read in a long time. Like I said earlier I would recommend this book to the whole family. I can't wait to hear about more of Candy's rebellions,