The Sweetest Dark Shana Abe Random House Publishing Group, Bantam YA fantasy, historical paranormal This book is totally gush-worthy, the best young adult fantasy I've read in a very long time, perhaps ever. Why? Because it's heart-achingly beautiful. The prose is poetic, the words as ethereal as the girl who turns into smoke and then a dragon. The story is unique with a dreamy pace all of its own, and the characters are rich and endearing, particularly Jesse who as well as physical beauty has the beauty of a pure soul. It's a bittersweet tale, but oh, so sweet, and not the frivolous saccharine of some stories. The sweetness here is somehow soulful, the characters bearing witness to another layer of existence, not apart from our world, but hidden within, like a silken undergarment. Jesse, Lora and Armand share an existence where stones have their own melody, boys can belong to the stars and connections between people can be so deep that they communicate without words as easily … [Read more...]
“Trust me when I say read this book” Latest awesome review & GIVEAWAY of Lethal Inheritance
Today I'm with Stacy at Book Broads. She wrote a review of Lethal Inheritance today and will be publishing one of Stalking Shadows in a couple of days. Stacy's review isn't just high praise, it makes great reading. This reviewer has a unique and enjoyable voice. I loved the way she described the book. She didn't miss the light-heartedness in the story. "One wrong word and you are a human pancake" Thanks Stacy for the delightful review. So pop over and give her some support AND you get another chance to WIN Lethal Inheritance http://bookbroads.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/stalking-shadows-blog-tour-giveaway.html … [Read more...]
“Wonderfully intense, magical, frightening, love-driven”: blog tour double review & give away
Today I'm at Twisted Sense with Nikki who has written a double review, one for Lethal Inheritance and one for Stalking Shadows--and she's keen to read the next one. She says (among other things) "Lethal Inheritance is a wonderfully intense, magical, frightening, love-driven YA book whose audience definitely is not limited to Young Adult." And on Stalking Shadows . . . "The magical world remains, with an exceptionally well-written ribbon of “real world” weaved throughout." Pop over and share the love and enter the giveaway for an ebook of Lethal Inheritance. http://twistedsense.com/2013/05/tahlia-newland-series/ … [Read more...]
“Honestly? It was awesome!” Another review of ‘Stalking Shadows’
Another stop on the blog tour. Today I'm at Crazy Four Books with the delightful Brenda. It seems that Stalking Shadows left her speechless. I quote, "I can't even begin to describe all of the action you'll find in this highly imaginative journey." Curious? Pop on over and see what else she has to say. You'll also get the opportunity to WIN A COPY of Lethal Inheritance, book one in the Diamond Peak series. http://crazyfourbooks.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/vbt-review-and-giveaway-stalking.html?show Some of my readers may have noticed that this is a very relaxed blog tour. I booked visits for every second day, so I'd have some breathing space, which was just as well because my computer crashed yesterday and I had to do some time consuming damage control. … [Read more...]
Words and visual images, a creative cauldron: Blog Tour Guest Post
If you're interested in the creative process, in particular how my past as a visual and performing artist stimulate my creativity as a writer, pop over to My Guilty Obsession today and read my article. You'll have to scroll down past the book blurb to find the article. It's illustrated. You can't miss the images. http://myguiltyobsession.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/blog-tour-guest-post-stalking-shadows.html I hope you enjoy it. … [Read more...]
5 stars: A great sequel & skillful word use – what every writer wants to hear
Blog tour participant Ruthanne Reid posted a 5 star review on Amazon titled 'A Great Sequel.' Among other things she says - "She has a skill for choosing words that deftly avoid passive-verb problems, skillfully weaving her impressive world-building and unique system of magic and power." Since I'm always on about how to avoid passive writing, it's good to hear someone affirm that I have some skill in it myself. … [Read more...]
Short but sweet reviews: The ‘Stalking Shadows’ Blog tour takes off today.
We start with some short reviews but a good start to the tour. It's nice to know that people are enjoying the story Here's one from Goodreads. rating 5 of 5 stars bookshelves fantasy, new-adult, read edit shelves status Read in February, 2013 format ebook (edit) review Lots of action, creatures like giant stick insects, magicians with attitude, unrequited love, a mad talking cat, a few surprises and, of course, those creepy demons that know your mind and how to exploit it for their own purposes. It's better than the first book in the series. Oh yeah, that's mine. It does give you a brief glimpse of what's in it though. Then there's accolades on my writing ability from Annie Evett, (always nice to hear) and "Tahlia keeps the pace lively, and the powder keg of frothing emotions bubbling." The rest of her review is here http://annieonwriting.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/stalking-shadows And the very pink Little Miss Diana Drama Queen has this to say - "Nick and Ariel's … [Read more...]
Fantasy review: Colandra’s Crusade by Susie Pilkington-Wood
Title: Colandra's Crusade Angels, Demons and Possessed Cats Collide Author: Susie Pilkington-Wood Publisher: Fingerpress The idea behind this book is an interesting one - basically a vision of an afterlife bureaucracy involved in moving souls up, or down, the spiritual ladder, and a soul looking for its comatose body - but it doesn't succeed as well as it could. The prologue shows subtlety, attention to detail and insight in the writing, and the beginning chapters when Colandra finds himself in a rat's body and learns what has happened to him held my attention, but the early promise is not fulfilled by the rest of the book. There is a naivety about the writing that comes across as being a little shallow. Good and evil are too clearly defined and too rigidly judged. It's a simplistic vision which wouldn't, perhaps, be such a problem if it was well written. Unfortunately however, the prose is passive a lot of the time, with an overuse of various manifestations of the verb 'to be', … [Read more...]
Stalking Shadows is out, and Lethal Inheritance is on sale!
Yes, Stalking Shadows , book two of the Diamond Peak series is out now, and the first book in the series Lethal Inheritance is on sale (on Kindle only) for $0.99 until the end of the month. (Don't wait for it to be free because it aint gonna happen, ever.) The book is beautifully formatted by yours truly and is a better book than the first one, ( I didn't have to spend so many words on world building.) Now, about STALKING SHADOWS 'A well written, engaging and gripping story'. Clive S Johnson, reviewer for http://awesomeindies.net In this, the second book in the Diamond Peak series, you'll find adventure, romance and 'a unique and notable new approach to magical powers.' Ripped from the safety of our world and thrust into a strange hidden realm on a quest to save her mother, Ariel aims to confront the Master Demon, but first she must defeat Amic, the bodyguard that’s trying to kill her. In order reach the safe haven of Sheldra, she must pass through dangerous terrain and battle … [Read more...]
Magical Realism review: Moscow But Dreaming by Ekaterina Sedia
Title: Moscow But Dreaming Author: Ekaterina Sedia Publisher: Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. Prime Books Genre: magical realism This is probably the best book of short stories I have ever read. The prose is excellent, finely honed and beautiful to read. The author skilfully uses words to paint stories with a memorable and distinctly Northern European atmosphere, somewhat reminiscent of the great Russian authors. Although distinctly different to each other, these magical realism stories share a voice so similar that it could have almost been the same character speaking, particularly in the first half of the book. This gives it more unity than many collections of short stories and would make it more readable for those who prefer longer works. These are stories to be savoured, like a fine meal not to be rushed, so much so that I read them over a long period of time, reading just one between longer works. As in all collections of stories, I enjoyed some more than others, but the … [Read more...]
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