A Review: Fall of Eden by Michele Poague

The first thing you should know about this book is that it's a sequel. It is the second book of The Healing Crystal trilogy. You can find my review for the first book HERE.

Just like the first book, the thing that stood out most to me about this book were the characters. The main character, Kairma, is very relatable She has emotions like the rest of us, loses her temper like the rest of us, and definitely feels helpless at times, just like the rest of us. The characters around Kairma that support her each have personalities that are unique from the others, but also common enough that a person might relate to them as well. Between the group of characters, there is easily one that you can slip into the shoes of and fall into the story with. Each of the characters feels almost alive, as they struggle through their trials and grow from them.

Another plus for this book is the settings the author puts her characters into. Her descriptions allow you to see what the characters are seeing, feeling, and going through. You experience the dryness of the desert and the chill of winter along with them, letting you get deeper into the story.

One thing I felt this author was great at, in her writing, was keeping you in the story. As the villain chases the group of main characters through the wilderness, always lurking just behind them, you simply don't want to put the book down. The urgency and suspense that she lays out keeps you turning pages until the very end. Indeed, up to the very last sentence.

That brings me to the ending. Now, I won't spoil it, but the ending frustrated me beyond measure. It opened up this entirely new idea in the story, gave me an entirely new perspective on everything I'd read so far, then ended, right there, leaving me hanging, wanting more.

All in all, I'd say this book, like the one before it, is definitely worth a read.

Link to Michele Poague's website: http://michelepoague.com/

Link to the Amazon purchase link for Fall of Eden: http://www.amazon.com/Michele-Poague/e/B004SRRKV8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1320889696&sr=8-1

Link to the Barnes and Noble purchase link for Fall of Eden: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fall-of-eden-michele-poague/1104253011?ean=9781462013074

Link to a trailer for The Healing Crystal trilogy (which gives a very good impression of what the books are about, I must say): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIGSE2hhRrQ

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

Along with the blog tour, there is a raffle with awesome prizes. Keep reading for information on it.

Grand Prize Giveaway

As part of the tour, Michele is generously offering 3 AMAZING giveaways to the blog readers. 

• The first winner will receive signed copies of the entire Healing Crystal trilogy. 
• The second place winner will receive a signed copy of Fall of Eden as well as a $10 gift certificate. 
• The third place winner will receive a signed copy of Fall of Eden. 

To enter to win these prizes, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form provided HERE.

• Open from September 8 to October 8.
• Must be 13+ years of age to enter
• US mailing addresses only

Earn entries by doing any/all of the following:

• Leaving a blog post comment
• Liking The Healing Crystal Trilogy on Facebook
• Tweeting about the giveaway (once per day)
• Writing a review of Fall of Eden
• Posting an interview, the book trailer, or a link to the tour.

A Review: Heir of Power by Michele Poague

All books that I love have something in common - good characters. This book, Heir of Power, is among those books. The characters are very memorable. Each character has a set of personality flaws and strengths; worries, fears, and insecurities; loves and hates; strong, realistic emotions; and all the other things that makes a character real. Things that make a character stick out in a person's mind. Part of the enjoyment of reading about the characters is to watch them grow and develop. The main character, Kairma, is probably the one who changes the most, and it only improves her life. Michele Poague does a good job with this and I feel that by the end of her novel, all of her characters have grown into better people.

Not only do the characters face their internal and personal issues during the plot of the story, but they face something greater - circumstances that are out of their control. The civilians of the colony of Survin, which has been hidden away in seclusion for centuries, are suddenly being forced to interact with the outside world, in ways that could potentially help or harm them. Because of this series of seemingly random plot twists and events, the Survinees are forced to adapt from their lifestyle in order to survive.

Another thing the author has done that I liked was the subtle hints about where and when this story takes place. Instead of telling you outright that it takes place on, say, the moon in the year 2121 (which, for the record, isn't this novel's setting), Poague leaves small pieces of the puzzle throughout the story, revealing something here or there that tell you the setting of the novel. Though that knowledge isn't necessarily critical to understanding the novel, it is good to know, and by the end, it all mostly fits together. Personally, as soon as I finished, I wanted to go back and start reading it again, just to see if there were some things I might have missed while reading it the first time that fit with the setting that I had discovered.

The end of the novel isn't exactly a cliffhanger, which can be a good thing. Though there are two other books in the series, which I do intend on finding to read, just as soon as I can, I would be content stopping right at the end of this book and not continuing on, because the book ends well. There are very few things left unsettled - just enough that a second and third book can be added on to it.

Between the interesting religion and lifestyle of the Survinees, the characters that were placed in this world, and the series of events, this novel kept me attached to it, reading to the very last page with curiosity and excitement. It is a book that I would recommend to anyone seeking a science fiction tale with adventure, romance, and just enough mystery.

Click HERE for the link to purchase.

The link for the author's blog : http://michelepoague.com/

A Review: The Key of Kilenya by Andrea Pearson

As I'm sure most, if not all of my readers know, I am a big procrastinator. As such, I didn't start reading this book until late two nights ago. I continued reading all day yesterday and into the night. The thing is, even if I could have put the book down, and still have finished it on time, I wouldn't have. It completely enthralled me, and this is even the second time I've read it, the first being online, a couple months ago.

From the first page, this book drew me into it and kept me in Eklaron with the main character, Jacob. The action just kept coming, sending new twists and challenges that had to be faced. If Jacob wasn't dealing with one thing, he was trying to escape from something else.

When explaining the book to my sister, I said it was a classic fantasy adventure; a seemingly normal boy with a fairly normal life gets pulled into some different place and goes on a quest that changes a lot of things. However, this is far more than that. The challenges that the main character, Jacob, faces are original. The creatures he has to live among and fight against are new, fresh, and creative compared to other similar novels I've read. There aren't orcs, vampires, or elves. Instead, there are Makalos, Molgs, and Eetus.

Beyond the plot and the creative new creatures, the characters themselves were lovable. Throughout the book, new characters were being introduced, and all of them had a distinct personality that made them memorable.

All in all, this book was one I was glad to add to my bookshelf, and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the series.

To purchase The Key of Kilenya, check out this link: http://www.kilenyaseries.com/p/purchase-information.html
To check out Andrea Pearson's blog, click this link:  http://www.kilenyaseries.blogspot.com

A Review : KiTE by Bill Shears

There are some strange things going on in the usually normal three months of Mason Dash's shift upon the high-flying space street sweeper, Kite. For one, there is activity on the supposedly abandoned ISS2. Then there's the unknown war taking place inside the Kite's computer systems as He_Ra tries to take over. Sheila, a virtual personality, takes things on her shoulders (figuratively) and tries to help with both unusual situations.

This entire novel takes place in only a few different locations (primarily Earth's Orbit) and has surprisingly few characters. However, the characters that are presented all have unique personalities and quirks. You are able to get to know all of them better than you might if there were more characters. Some of the characters are a few of the more memorable characters I have met, whilst reading novels, and they'll stick with me. Particularly Troy.

I was able to follow the plot line of this book fairly well, despite some technical explanations and technologies that are, as far as I know, not yet created. The point of view did switch around a lot, which made for an interesting perspective on things. The idea for the novel was new and it kept me thinking all the way through. The ending was different than what I expected and it amused me quite a bit.

The one down side to this novel was that it had a little more swearing and other content that I wasn't really comfortable with while reading. At times I was nearly tempted to just put it down and stop reading it. However, to each their own, I suppose.

Everything considered, this is a novel that kept me interested with it's strange twists, easily likable characters, and hints of humor.

To buy KiTE, click HERE.
To visit Bill Shears' website, click HERE.

A Review: StarScout Rising: First Trail by Gary Darby

The back of the book says: "The thundering acid tsunami raced towards Del as he tried in vain to pilot his damanged scouter out of its path. Tremors ran through the ship as it lost altitude and speed. Del had only one option, to dive the craft deep into the lake of acid ahead of the wave. Del glanced at his controls and wondered, 'would the bulkheads hold when the scouter slammed into the lake surface? Did the little ship have enough juice to power through the thick goo?'


Del didn't know. He only knew he had but one chance to save his ship and his comrades. With one final look back at the speeding swell, Del tipped the nose of the scouter over in a downward arc toward the orange liquid and the dark depths below."

Sounds intriguing, yes?

I'll admit, though, that it took me a bit for me to actually get in to this book. At first it was more of a chore, reading it, until I got about halfway through. At that point, it suddenly hooked me and I read the rest of the book all in one night (staying up far too late, I might add).

I think this was because of the characters. Some were introduced well, the main characters, but for the side plot lines, most of the characters were a little blurry to me, and it made it difficult to figure out what was going on a lot of the time. However as the book progressed, I was able to get to know even the more minor characters and really start to enjoy the book. I did like some of the personalities of the characters, though. A favorite of mine was Sami and his somewhat flawed humor.

The setting, "Out There" and the other terms that they used were a little overwhelming at first to me as well, which is probably typical of a science fiction novel, but I could catch on to the different terms easily enough as the book progressed.

The plot line is great, and I did enjoy that all the way through the book. The author, Gary Darby, had a few pretty good cliffhangers along the way that did keep me reading through the tough parts rather than just setting it aside and choosing one of the other books on my list to read.

Another plus for this book was its ending, which shocked me probably more than it should have. Now, I want to go back and read it again, searching for those hints that I now can tell led up to it. I'll probably enjoy it more the second time as well, since I already know the characters fairly well.

And, despite not particularly liking it in the beginning, I will be waiting for the next book in the series to come out so I can read it and continue the story.

Want to buy this book? Click here.
How about on Kindle? Click here.
And lastly, go check out the author's blog for this book -  http://starscoutrising.blogspot.com/

A Review: The Hidden Sun by J. Lloyd Morgan

Back of the book: 
The kingdom of Bariwon in at a crossroads. Ever since Eliana was born, she had been primed to become the kingdom's leader. But she is not to rule Bariwon alone. A contest of sorts, called the Shaginoc, is to be held when Eliana turns twenty one. The victor gains the right to marry Eliana and become king of Bariwon. Rumor has it that the favorite to win the Shaginoc is Daimh, son of malevolent Govenor Abrecan. However, Eliana has fallen in love with her personal guardian, Rinan. She is torn between renouncing her title to be with the man she loves or marrying to keep the kingdom out of the hands of those who rule it unjustly. A plan is hatched to keep her in power while allowing her to marry Rinan, but little does she know the impact this deception will have on everyone in Bariwon for years to come.

My review:
I read this book on the long road trip to a family reunion, and all along the way, I was giving a commentary of what was going on in the book. My sister delights in asking me every few minutes, "Have they died yet?" whenever I'm reading a book, and this time I could answer truthfully every time she asked, "Yes, someone has, actually." It made her day, I'm sure.

I am a big fan of unique names, so seeing so many of them in this book excited me. Not only were the names unique, however, but the characters themselves all had unique and well defined personalities. You could easily fall in love with the characters, even several of the evil ones, which made it even more devastating when several characters were unexpectedly killed off.

The plot was always twisting and turning, making certain events very unexpected. I often cried out in protest or surprise while reading it, because of something that had happened with no previous foreshadowing to lead up to the event. There was also a certain level of predictability, but not too much. I certainly wanted to keep reading to see what might happen next.

The first line of the book, "The sun's playing hide and seek," ties the whole story together in a way so that all the characters introduced halfway through the book, and the periods and time that the story skips all make sense and fit right into the plot of the story.

One thing that distracted me while reading the book, was all the little mistakes. A word misused or a grammar mistake here or there. Still, these mistakes weren't so noticeable as to completely draw you out of the story. I just took note and kept reading.

This novel's mix of fantasy and romance drew me in and kept me in and I can't wait for the next book to come out.

J. Lloyd Morgan's site is http://www.jlloydmorgan.com.
You can purchase the book here:  http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Sun-J-Lloyd-Morgan/dp/160911437X.


Disclaimer: This book was sent to me free of charge so I could review it. However, it did not influence my opinion of the novel at all. This review is my honest opinion of the novel. 

A Review: The Sapphire Flute by Karen E. Hoover

In the world of Rasann, two girls live. Ember is a girl who discovers she can see magic and change the appearance of things at will. Kayla is a musician who is given the Sapphire Flute and told not to play it. Both girls are sent on quests and both face danger sent from the villain of the tale, C’Tan.

The chapters weave between the two girls’ paths, including an occasional scene from C’Tan’s point of view.

The prologue starts the book off with a bang and sets the book in motion, making you not want to put it down the entire time. Throughout the book there are twists and turns that make the plot intriguing and unexpected things continue all the way to the very end.

I could easily imagine the characters and the places that they went. Between the love-struck Kayla and the slightly crazy C’Tan, the emotions were strong and you could almost feel them as you read.

Karen Hoover has started a great series and I can’t wait for the rest of them to come out. The first book has landed itself on my favorite’s list and I’m sure the other six books will too.

You can visit Karen Hoover’s blog HERE. The book is available to purchase HERE.